Inuyasha, the movie, V: A subtle attack
by Rine Wolve
Summary: What happens when Kagome loses it and Inuyasha is the one who has to bring her back to her senses? A terribly dangerous attack by an old foe. Will he succeed in tearing two friends appart, like he has already done 50 years ago?
1. Prologue & Chapter I: BitterSweet 16

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**I don't think there has ever been a hero that would not, even once in their world-saving life, feel like they were wasting themselves. The world sleeps safely tonight... but what about our hero? Is he not allowed to lead a normal life? What would the implications be?br /First chapter: introduction, thoughts, musing... oh, and a scene where Inuyasha is naked ;p Enjoy!**

**Prologue**

"Where´s the shard, Kagome?"

It was a great and fierce Chinese dragon. How it got there, they didn´t know. It had, maybe, lain dormant in a cave nearby, from times immemorial. But that didn´t mattered. What mattered was that it had attacked them ferociously, moreover, during dinner. They had managed to draw it away from the village, and were now fighting it. Inuyasha was furious, both from having been disturbed like that and because the huge creature seemed to get the best of them. They could have used Sango and Miroku´s help, but they weren´t there at the time.

The dragon was too quick for Inuyasha´s energy attacks, not to mention Kagome´s arrows. It swayed in the air, like a great lash. Inuyasha had to engage in hand to hand combat with it, or more hand to horn, because of the big and sharp horn on its muzzle. It also breathed fire and obviously had some score to settle with Kagome. Of course, her hanyo protector wouldn't let it come near her.

"I can see something glowing inside its head, but I´m not sure."

"Well, damn it, be sure! Look out!"

And Inuyasha pushed Kagome out of the way of a great ball of fire.

"That freakin´ does it! Kagome, I want you to hold me!"

"Huh? Don't you think it´s kind of a weird time to be displaying affection?"

"Just bloody do what I say! I need the force of your shards in their pure form. So put your arms around me. Now!"

Kagome obeyed his command and embraced him from behind. Inuyasha focused and his blade turned diamond. The dragon swooped upon them.

"Inuyasha... it´s gonna swallow us."

"No fear!" he growled between his teeth.

The dragon came closer and closer. It breathed blades of fire.

"No fear!" Kagome said firmly and the shards glowed.

"Adamant Barrage!"

Inuyasha released a powerful shout that shook the ground, being surpassed only by the surreal force of his attack.

It split the fire in two and entered inside the dragon's mouth, shattering it into pieces. The head fell someplace, while parts of its body were scattered all around.

Inuyasha breathed a little hard.

"Are you ok?" Kagome asked him.

"Just hold on to me a bit longer."

~Gladly~ she thought.

They stayed like that for a few moments.

"Kagome?"

"Mm?"

"We should probably get the shard. Could you... uh... let go now?"

"Oh! Oh, sure!"

Kagome approached the head of the dragon. As she did that, it move on its own unexpectedly and, with its last breath, it spitted a small red projectile, which hit Kagome fully in her chest, with the force of a bullet. It threw her to the ground. Enraged, Inuyasha split the head in two with the Tetsusaiga.

"Kagome, are you ok?"

She had already gotten up, although the blow had seemed to be more damaging than that. She looked inside her blouse, searching for a mark, but she found nothing, not even a bruise. She could feel a burning sensation on her skin and inside her heart, but no mark to show for.

"Where did it hit you?" and Inuyasha pulled on her blouse, in an attempt to see for himself, but received a slap on his hand.

"Hey, now! Where you raised in a barn?" Kagome objected. "Don´t you know it´s not nice to do that?"

Inuyasha blushed but pretended offended and indifferent.

"I just wanted to see if you were hit. It´s not like I´m interested in two pieces of flesh."

~That come out all wrong...~ He blushed harder, but said nothing more.

"I should get the shard." Kagome concluded amused and headed for the dragon´s head.

"Careful! I split the sucker, but you never now!"

Kagome looked around.

"Hm! That´s interesting. I swear I could see a shard. But now I..."

The dragon´s flesh faded away and vanished as if it never existed. Only the bones remained and they, too, would finally be sent to the Bone Eater´s Well.

"That´s really the strangest thing: if it didn´t have a shard to make it evil, why would it want to attack us? The Chinese dragon is known as one of the noblest and wisest creatures."

"I´m more concerned about the blow you received. If you´re not letting me, you should at least let Kaede take a look." Inuyasha adviced her. "Come on, let´s go back. It´s getting dark."

"Yeah..." Kagome reluctantly approved.

"You should probably stay at the temple for the night. There´s something I don´t like..." Inuyasha continued as they headed towards the village.

***

The blood shone red on the green grass. He lay on his side, motionless. She kneeled beside him and turned him over. The pallor of death that had settled on his face, did not diminish his beauty. She stroke his ice cold forehead.

"Come back to me!" she whispered and her words echoed. There was no answer. The pain invaded her heart. It was unbearable.

She stood by a grave. Sango was next to her, holding her around her shoulders. Miroku was praying. She bent and put some flowers on the grave. She could read the letters on the funeral stone; they spelled: INUYASHA.

Kagome awoke in tears, calling out his name, crying like she had never thought she could. Her heart felt like burning embers, scorching her from the inside. She held herself tight, in a desperate embrace.

Inuyasha dashed inside the room and looked around. Then he kneeled next to Kagome.

"What happened? Why did you call me?"

The sight of Kagome in tears, troubled him deeply. She threw herself around his neck crying, too terrified to tell him what she had dreamed. At first baffled, Inuyasha put his arms around her and held her tight.

"There... It was just a nightmare. I´m here, Kagome."

But somehow his words lacked the power to settle the tempest that had started in her heart.

**Chapter one: (Bitter-)sweet sixteen**

"The first time should be with someone you love, so you can make it a special moment."

Kagome's face was burning up, as she realized who she was thinking about. Thank God it was dark in the classroom, as they showed the documentary for the "educational class". There was anyway a general giggling and blushing among the girls: why should **she** act otherwise? After all she was a teenager.

It wasn't the first time she saw the film, but it was the first time she had someone on her mind. She had never given much thought on the matter, but it was a week since she felt… different, like something changed inside her. She regarded **him** differently; she kind of stumbled at the sight of him and blushed when he touched her. Inuyasha had noticed it, too, and often stared at her, frowning, like he didn't understand what was going on, and called her "weird" and "clumsy" and "silly". What Kagome didn´t know, was that he was returning her attention, and even smiled, when she wasn´t looking, of course.

"Remember: always use protection!"

"Ha, pf, yeah right!" she giggled to herself, at the thought.

"Did you say something, Kagome?" her bench-mate asked.

"No, no. I just felt like sneezing."

~This film doesn't help me much with my task today.~ She had a plan, which she couldn't wait to share with Inuyasha, but she felt her new feelings were an obstacle in the way of her words. She feared that they would eventually become an obstacle in the way of their friendship, too, that nothing would ever be the same again.

**

*

~Inuyasha? Would you be my date?~ but, just as she had feared, the words wouldn't come out. So Kagome just kept on staring at her hanyo friend, with a knot in her throat and butterflies in her stomach. ~What's with the butterflies? It's not like I'm asking him on a serious date. It's just for fun.~ She never believed it would be so hard to utter those words. But, by the light of the fire, resting, eyes closed, he looked so serene and simply beautiful, that it reminded her of all the reasons she had to really consider him a serious date.

"OK, spit it out!" he unexpectedly barked, as impatient as ever, making Kagome startle.

"What?" she pretended.

"Do you think I can't **feel** you staring at me? What? Is the effect of the new-moon already starting to show? It was not supposed to, until tomorrow night" and the boy looked alarmed at his claws.

~Kagome, just say it!~ she braced herself.

"Um, Inuyasha… about tomorrow night…"

"Yeah?"

His big, expressive eyes suddenly gazing so curiously into hers, made Kagome even more reluctant to tell him her plan.

"Nothing. I guess it's just stupid. Where is Miroku with that food? I'm starving. Besides, I gotta get back. I promised mom…"

Inuyasha approached her face so much, that his eyes were now piercing rays of light. Kagome blushed, without being able to look away, while he simply stared inquisitive, like studying something. He said softly, stroking her nose, with one finger:

"Lately, you've been acting weird. You're so silly when you're nervous like that. What is it that you can't possibly tell **me**?"

And by that "**me**", Kagome knew he meant ~after all we've been through~ and ~when you know how I feel for you~ and ~when I know how you feel for me~. As rough and rude as he was, Inuyasha did have a way of melting Kagome's heart, with his childlike innocence and candor. But something had obviously changed in her heart. She looked down smiling, her cheeks all blossoms.

"Well, you should know that it's a human thing, but I was thinking about asking you out on a date."

"What's a… date?" he wiggled one doggy ear.

"It's when a boy and a girl meet and go for a walk and eat something and…" ~kiss... No, no, no! What's wrong with me?~

Inuyasha thought a little.

"But aren't we always… dating like that? We meet, we walk, we slay demons, we eat…

"Oh, no!" Kagome chuckled "Both the boy and the girl dress up nicely, they meet somewhere in town, possibly with other friends as well and go see a movie, or go dancing. You see? That's why I was thinking about tomorrow night, when you're all human and you would be less conspicuous if you came in my time. And besides…"

Inuyasha's curiosity turned into a frown and a crooked mouth. He interrupted Kagome's excited speech, with a painful conclusion:

"You were right: it **is** stupid!" and he turned his back to her, his arms crossed. "Besides, we have no time for that. We have to find Naraku and take the jewel back from him."

The girl was so disappointed by his reaction that her eyes filled up with tears. She forced herself not to cry, although she couldn't stop sobbing as she said:

"You know what's stupid? That we're just a couple of kids and yet we deal all day long with things way beyond our maturity level. I'm tired of all the blood and gore and protecting this and that. I wanna have some fun for a change."

Inuyasha had never heard Kagome speaking like that before. There was something different in all her behavior. She even smelled a little different.

"And you know what else is stupid?" she continued. "That you aren't afraid of a ten-foot monster, but your kimono trembles on you, at the thought of doing something new, something you're not familiar with."

"Hey! I'm not afraid! I've been in your world a dozen times and, frankly, I don't like it."

"That's because we never do anything fun."

"You call "fun" making me dress up like a 20'th century clown and showing me off to your girlfriends? Why don't you get Miroku to do that for 'ya? Or, better yet, Koga."

Kagome jumped to her feet, her beautiful, brown eyes blazing with anger, her fists tightened.

"Yeah, well at least Koga is forward and outspoken. I mean, I don´t even know what we two are, Inuyasha. Are we friends, lovers...?"

Inuyasha´s eyes grew wider. Kagome stuttered:

"I... I mean a couple... as in girlfriend, boyfriend... damn it! Why is it so hard?"

Inuyasha felt something rather alarming looking at that different Kagome. It was linked more to his animal side. In short, he felt like he could tear her apart and eat her up. The thought sent shivers down his spine, but nonetheless gave him an evil glow in his eye. It frightened Kagome.

"Don´t you look at me like that!" she blustered.

A sharp ache went through her heart.

"Ouch!" she held her hand to her chest.

"What is it?" Inuyasha became worried.

"It´s probably nothing. Just a thrubbing of the heart."

"Let me see." and in no time he was up on his feet, looking down her cleavage.

He received a fist in his head.

"I thought you´d learned by now that you just can´t do such things!" Kagome shouted, tightening her blouse.

She turned and walked away.

"What´s your problem?" Inuyasha cried out after her, rubbing his head.

~Hm! See if I care!~ thought Inuyasha and leaned back, his arms under his head.

The problem was that he did care. And something was not right. He admired Kagome for the patience she had with his whims and ill-temper and sometimes wondered how she can stick around, when all he ever did was scold and disregard her. He did that mainly as a protection, so as not to let her too close to him. He did not know exactly why, but his intuition said it was safer, for both of them. ~Maybe, when the world will be a better place. When the Shikon no Tama will never be a threat to anyone. Maybe then…~ and he realized he was thinking about how warm it felt in the rare occasions she took him in her arms. Something very powerful made him want to protect her and keep her by his side, just so she could hug him once in a while. ~Neah! It's just that I'm half dog and I'm being territorial.~ Was he then considering Kagome as "his"?

"Where did Kagome go?" Miroku interrupted his musing. "I brought food from Kaede."

"How should **I** know where she is? Guess she took off back to her time."

"You let her alone, at night?"

"So what? Pf, believe me, as angry as she was, I hope, for their sake, that no one tries to attack her." Inuyasha laughed more to convince himself.

"It means you turned down her invitation and probably even made fun of her, as usual." Miroku concluded, with an air of know-it-all.

After a brief pause, while Inuyasha stared bedazzled, he burst:

"She confides to **you**?"

"I think she would much rather confide to you. It's just that you're not letting her."

"Ha! I'm not having this talk with you. Not with you, not with anyone!"

And he turned his back again, not without taking his share of the food first.

~How can he be both an extrovert and an introvert?~ Miroku wondered. ~Must have something to do with this dual nature of his.~

"C'mon, Inuyasha! Sango and I are going.

"What the hell is this?" the boy exclaimed between gulps. "A conspiracy?"

"No, but we thought she deserves to decide what to do on her birthday. She's celebrating it tomorrow."

~Her birthday? Oh, man! Why didn't she tell me? I bet it was because she didn't want me to feel compelled to do anything special for her. She told Sango and Miroku, though. What's **this** all about? Trusting them and not me? Well, of course, if I snap at her every time she tries to come closer. I hope she got safely back home.~

And just as he was eating the food from his bowl, all those thoughts and many others were eating him. Miroku could almost hear him think. Too bad Inuyasha wasn't such a ladies-man like himself. Miroku chuckled and stroke his hair in a narcissistic way but became very embarrassed when he saw Inuyasha looking at him. He seemed to want to say something.

"I…"he began and then paused. "I ain't wearing any shoes, OK?"

**

*

Kagome wasn't mad at Inuyasha. She was perfectly aware that he was a half-demon and not one of the guys in school. You couldn't expect him to react like a normal human. Being in-between was, in fact, one of the things Kagome liked about Inuyasha… but, lately, it was something that also made her very sad. Their whole story was a sad one. In her previous incarnation, she was made to think he had betrayed her. They were at odds with eachother, yet loved eachother. ~Soul-mate slash arch-rival. How lame! Poor Kikyo. Poor Inuyasha.~

A year had passed since she'd fallen into the Bone-Eater's Well and found herself in feudal Japan, where a beautiful boy, with dog ears was pinned to the sacred tree by a magical arrow… Kikyo's arrow… her previous form's arrow. The story continued to be sad. As she had reproached Inuyasha, she thought they were way more mature then any teenager she knew. ~Most kids our age know nothing about the forces of evil, hanyo-s and yokai-s. They think keeping the world safe is reduced to recycling. They go dancing, they flirt, fall in love… Yeah, now **that's** something neither I, nor Inuyasha aren't mature about.~ But the past few days she felt she was slowly becoming a woman and wished for a normal boy and girl relationship. And here came the sad part: there was no one in her world she would have liked as a partner, but she **could** think of a certain little imp, with sunset colored eyes and silver mane.

"Huh!" she sighed. ~I'm not all normal myself.~

What saddened her more was that Inuyasha never spoke of these things and she couldn't bring herself up to touch the subject, either. ~I swear the guy is verbally challenged, when it comes to expressing his feelings. But, then again, so am I, lately.~ Maybe he didn't even feel the way she did. ~That would probably be the saddest part of them all.~

On her way home from afternoon classes, she passed through a park. She stopped and sat on a bench. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the sakura leaves were rustling as the wind danced through them. Couples passed by, holding hands, families with kids all sizes were out for a walk. Though she tried hard, the girl couldn't picture her and Inuyasha as a couple, or... with kids. With every inch of her she felt that between the two of them, there couldn't have been a normal love story. Yet, with every inch of her, she desired exactly that.

She had had another nightmare about him being dead. The ache in her heart was still sharp after that nightmare. This time, Inuyasha hadn´t been there to comfort her.

She could hear his voice saying: "I need you. Haven't you understood that by now?" and "I'll stay a half-demon... just for you." and especially "Hold on to me a bit longer." That was the one that really made her heart tick faster. Boy, did it feel good to hold him!

"Maybe this is as good as it gets for now." she concluded aloud, while some kids stared at her talking to herself. "Why would I want to rush into things? After all, I am only 16."

She got up and headed home. She was supposed to meet Sango and Miroku later on and she also had to prepare herself. Since morning, her family had congratulated her and also her class-mates. Everybody, but the one she would have really liked to have by her side. Kagome suddenly decided she should forget about him for the rest of the day and have fun for a change.

To her great surprise, Sango was expecting her in front of the house. What was more surprising was how beautiful and normal she looked in the black dress she had lent for her.

"Hey! What are you doing here so early?" Sango enquired, obviously in a jam.

"I could ask **you **the same thing. You were supposed to meet me after sunset and it's two more hours till then."

"Yeah, well... um... I thought I'd come by a little earlier so... you could show me around." and without expecting her answer, Sango grabbed her arm and tried to pull her away from the house.

"Can't I change first? Wait here!" Kagome escaped Sango and ran into the house.

"Kagome!" Sango ran after her.

"Hi, mom! Did you see how beautiful Sango looks in a modern dress?"

"Sweety! Wait, don't go upstairs! Can't you run to the store first and..."

"No time, mom! I promised Sango I will show her around a bit before the big gather-up."

Kagome ran up the stair, Sango followed her while Mrs. Higurashi looked after them. On top of the stairs, Sota suddenly popped up.

"Hey, sis! Watcha' doin'? Did I sing to you "Happy Birthday" today?"

Sota began singing, while executing a very funny dance in his attempt to stop Kagome from going any further. Sango accompanied him, although she didn't know the song and also was tone-deaf.

"What is it with you two weirdoes?" Kagome laughed.

She picked Sota up and removed him from her way. Then she heard something.

"Sota, did you leave the shower running?"

"Um..."

"You did, didn't you? Mom, Sota's been playing with the shower again!"

As she approached the bathroom door, the shower sound suddenly stopped, surprising Kagome. Then a noise, like a dog shaking the water off resounded. The door opened and... there were two cute doggy ears and two huge orange eyes on a round face with perfect, childish features, surrounded by long, white hair, now wet and smelling like Kagome's shampoo. All this on a tall, slender, yet very fit... naked young man's body.

"Inu...yasha?"

Beads of water were dripping off his hair directly on the floor and along the strong neck, down his powerful arms and his chest that had taken so many injuries while protecting her.

"What?!" snapped the boy, as if everything was perfectly normal.

He smelled so good and his body still gave off the heat of the water. Steam surrounded him like an aura. An uncomfortable silence had fallen, while Kagome stared into Inuyasha's eyes, afraid to look anywhere else, and felt her knees trembling and her face burning up.

"Surpriiiise!" Sango yell, giving both of them a start.

"Inuyasha! Don't you know you're not supposed to appear in front of a lady like that?"

Miroku came out of Sota's room with a big sheet, covered Inuyasha up and pushed him into the room, while the boy commented aloud as usual:

"But that's not a lady, it's just Kagome. I've seen **her** naked lots of times while she was bathing. So what's the problem if...?"

The door closed behind them. Sota burst out laughing, but when Kagome gave him a certain look, he quickly followed the guys into his room.

**

*

Sango knocked gently on the door:

"Kagome? Can I come in?"

"Are you alone?"

"Yes!"

"Come in then."

Sango found Kagome in front of the mirror, wearing a tight, short, red dress, with a turtle neck and high red boots. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, revealing her forehead and lightening up her face. That notwithstanding, her eyes were darkened by sorrow. This was certainly a different Kagome. Sango became suspicious.

"You look great in red." she said, just to open the conversation. ~But this is not you.~

Kagome sat down on the bed. She was very pale and Sango now saw that she had been crying.

"Are you OK? Did we do something wrong? We thought you want Inuyasha here for your birthday. Oh, you have no idea what we've been through with him, today! He changed his mind a dozen times about coming, then he..."

"Sango, do we look funny from the outside? Silly, I mean. Laughable."

"You and dog-boy of wonder? Yeah, you're pretty funny."

Kagome sighed.

"Well, I don't **feel** funny at all. When we argue, when he doesn't listen to me, turns his back, goes away alone, shuts down inside himself... it hurts, you know?"

Sango sat down next to her.

"It didn't hurt in the beginning, it's something rather new. Sango..." Kagome faced her and the tears in her eyes were showing. "I've changed. My feelings for Inuyasha changed. I'm really, totally in love with him, in the worst way possible. At the same time, I have this terrible fear of losing him. I´ve been dreaming him dead."

"My! That does soud nasty! Have you told him?"

Though she didn't think it could have been possible, Kagome went paler.

"How could I tell him? What if he laughs? I mean, he knows I love him, but somehow it's different now. And besides, whenever I told him I love him it was on a crisis situation. I'm sure he took it in the universal meaning of it."

Sango raised one eyebrow:

"Yeah, and when you kissed him, I'm sure he took **that** in the universal meaning of it, as well."

Kagome giggled. Sango took her hands into hers.

"My dear friend, you're 16, you're a little woman. I think part of what you're feeling is very normal. But, to be totally honest with you, the fact that you suffer from it like that, is a sign of attachment. It's when you want someone to be your own and to behave only in a certain way, in order for you to be happy and you're terribly afraid to lose them. That is not good. It's an impurity in your heart. Attachment will make you do terrible things to the one you supposingly love. Because it is not love, but desire mixed with selfishness and fear. It's very easy to pervert these feelings into hatred. How do you think the jewel shards you barely keep pure, will react to what's in your heart right now? How can you protect and keep the jewel pure, with impure thoughts and feelings?"

Kagome looked at the small vial which she kept her jewel shards in and noticed they had become grey.

"Oh, no! I never saw it that way!" and she buried her face in her hands, ready to cry.

Sango pulled her hands apart and grabbed her shoulders:

"Enough with the crying already! That's not the Kagome I know! Listen, deary: you must talk to Inuyasha. He **loves** you, can't you tell that? I for one bet my head on it. He would give his **life** for you. What more could you wish for? After all, he **is** what he is. Yet, underneath all that macho show, he is very vulnerable. Just think about it: the last time he opened up to someone he got pinned to a tree for 50 years and his loved-one died believing he had betrayed her. Given how bad things between him and Kikyo went, I'd say he's pretty close to you. What do you want from him? Constant proof of his affection? You want him grabbing your ass, Miroku-style?" Sango laughed.

"Grabbing my ass? Sango, he doesn't even hold my hand! What I want is a normal life..."

"Trust me, you would get bored!"

"Not if I had a normal boy-friend. No jewels, no demons..."

Sango startled.

"But, Kagome, Inuyasha **is **half-demon."

"Yeah?! Well, I wish he were all human!" Kagome cryed out.

Silence fell. Kagome covered her mouth with a terrified look: "What's gotten into me? . Sango shook her head.

"Let me put it to you this way." she concluded. "There is no room for attachment, desires and impurities on the path you walk on alongside Inuyasha. Your destiny is to keep both the jewel and Inuyasha pure. I don't think you'd like to wake the animal in him, would you?"

"No!" and for the first time that afternoon, Kagome felt like her old self.

She remembered the look on Inuyasha's face by the fire, one evening before: ~He looked as if he could simply eat me up.~ A shiver went down her spine.

"Geez, Sango! I know it! With his behavior he's protecting me from himself and **my**self. I don't understand what's happened to me. Before all these feelings came, I knew instinctively that I had to be happy with just as much as he would offer me and not ask for more. And I had no problem with that."

Kagome smiled. A certain light, so specific for her, filled her face. She continued:

"I don't want anything from him for myself. But I **do** want him to fight against whatever demonic influence his soul might hold. He is not an animal, nor is he evil... he's just wild and untamed. But I like him exactly the way he is."

The shards glowed in the small vial. Kagome walked to her study and took them in her hands. Sango was amazed: she was herself again. Kagome put the vial around her neck and mused:

"You were right, Sango. Desire and attachment **did** appear in my heart. It's like somebody put them there. I wonder..."

**

*

Kanna gasped while looking at her mirror.

"What is it?" Naraku asked.

She simply turned the mirror towards him: it had cracked. In it, there was the image of Kagome.

"So, she seems to resist the influence of the shard."

"I sensed an outside interference: the demon-slayer."

"Ah, friends..." Naraku laughed malignant to himself. "It doesn't matter. The seed has been planted. Sooner or later it will sprout. All we have to do now is wait."

**

*

Kagome let her hair down and ruffled it.

"Wow! I feel so much better after having this talk with you. I can't believe I gave into those dark feelings. I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't be silly. Who knows? Maybe the new moon has some strange effect on you, too. I'm glad I could be of help. But I tell you that: one more tint of grey on those shards and I would have kicked your ass. Oh, and I still think you should talk to Inuyasha about what you're feeling."

"Man, Inuyasha's here..." Kagome remembered. She suddenly blushed. "You could have told me, Sango."

"It was supposed to be a surprise."

"Yeah, and some surprise it was! Thanks!"

Sango laughed, amused at the previous incident.

"By the way, did you notice that, beside that mane of his, he has no hair on his body?

"Sango!" Kagome's red dress was now pale compared to her face." I didn't quite... I mean... I didn't look... well, um..."

"Ah, don't tell me you haven't seen a naked man before!"

"Uh, does Sota count?"

"Kagome!"

"Inuyasha, don't! You **should **knock first."

"Why?"

Inuyasha and Miroku's voices came from the hall way. Kagome grabbed Sango's arm and whispered:

"Please! I don't want to face him right now. Everytime I close my eyes I see him... naked."

"Miroku!" Sango said. "We're not ready yet. Why don't you take Inuyasha downstairs?"

"Take **me **downstairs? What am I? A dog on a leash?"

"C'mon, pal, or so help me, I **will** use my Tunnel on you."

"You just try!"

"You're worse than a spoiled five-year old."

Their voices faded away as they went downstairs. Kagome sighed, relieved.

"He's a handful! Miroku must have had quite an adventure with him today."

"He had." Sango laughed. "But your mom on the other hand subdued him completely."

"Really? How?"

"She spoke very kindly to him, as if to a child and was very patient and affectionate. Inuyasha had some kind of embarrassment when she approached him; I could even say "respect". I believe you'd have a lot to learn from your mom, as far as Inuyasha is concerned. Speaking of which, I have a present for you."

And she handed her an old scroll, with a seal on it. Kagome looked at it curiously.

"What is it?"

"It's an ancient scroll, a manuscript."

"You mean, like a book?"

"A what?"

"It's how we call manuscripts nowadays. What's this character on the seal? Looks familiar."

"Don't you recognize it? It's the "inu" character."

Kagome's eyes went wider. She was puzzled.

"A book about... dogs?"

"About dog-**demons**. I'll help you read it, if the writing's too old for you to understand."

"Wow!" Kagome was very happy. "I can't wait to read it. Thanks, Sango! Thank you for everything." and she took her in her arms, totally surprising the slayer. ~She's so warm! No wonder she can melt even the heart of a half-demon.~

"Now help me take this stupid dress off. It's **so** not me!"

Sango smiled.

**

*

When she came downstairs, Kagome was dressed in a white suit, made up of a beautiful tight kimono-style blouse, with silver flowers, a short jacket and tight trousers. The sun was slowly setting, casting a mild orange light into the room. Inuyasha's eyes sparkled in that light, as he turned towards Kagome. His almost imperceptible smile gave away the fact that he liked what he saw.

Kagome gasped in amazement as she lay eyes on Inuyasha. He too was dressed in a suit, a black, classical one, with the trousers adjusted to be tight around his thighs, a jacket and a white shirt, unbuttoned at the top. The thick wild hair had been tamed and gathered in a pony-tail, except for the two tresses that covered the lack of human ears. The Tetsusaiga hung from a belt around his waist. He had one hand in his pocket and in the other one...

"Here!" he said plainly, and handed her the flowers.

They were wild flowers, from his time.

"Thank you!" Kagome answered, smiling at the thought of Inuyasha picking flowers.

"And here!" he handed her also her back-pack. "It's my kimono. I won't entrust it to anybody else, since you were the one with the idea I should wear modern cloths."

"You look very handsome in them." Kagome said.

Inuyasha's cheeks got a faint rosy color. He looked away.

"By the way, where did you get them?"

"They were your father's." her mom answered. "I've made adjustments to fit your friend. He was such a good boy!" and she scratched him behind one ear, to Kagome's surprise and everyone's amusement, especially since Inuyasha didn't fight it, but even seemed to like it, no matter how much he was trying to conceal it.

"The only problem is I couldn't think of a suitable hat to cover them. I mean his ears, sweetheart: they're cute and all, but how are you going to explain them to your friends... and the whole town, for that matter?"

As soon as she had finished talking, the last sun ray disappeared beyond the horizon and Inuyasha was veiled by a dazzling blue light. When it faded away, Mrs. Higurashi got her answer.

"Now **that's** unexpected! Let me look at you, sweety."

She studied Inuyasha's black hair, his clawless hands and human ears, also feeling them. Kagome couldn't believe just how obedient Inuyasha was.

"Mom, stop it. You're embarrassing him."

"Nonsense! I consider Inuyasha as one of my children."

Inuyasha smiled.

"Oh, what beautiful brown eyes!" she exclaimed as she gently held him by his chin and looked into his eyes. "You look as normal as any human boy. And you look a little like Kagome."

"She's right." Sango said.

The two looked at eachother: there was a resemblance.

"What causes this transformation?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

"It's the night with no moon." Inuyasha answered. "The demon inside me sleeps. As much as I hate to admit it, I lose all my powers and am completely helpless."

"From what my daughter told me, it's the human side in you that makes you stronger, both physically and mentally, than any other demon... and gives you your good looks."

"Mom!" Kagome felt like hiding somewhere. "It's getting late. We **should** be going. C'mon, guys!"

She ran outside, dragging Sango and Miroku with her. Inuyasha followed and Kagome's mom walked him to the door.

"Mrs. H., does Kagome talk about me a lot?"

The woman looked at him lovingly and caressed his cheek. Inuyasha felt warm, like she had touched his heart. Kagome was so lucky to still have a mom. And she resembled her mom in many ways.

"You take care of my daughter!" Mrs. Higurashi said and Inuyasha nodded.

"Inuyasha, come here, boy!" Kagome called to him.

"Hey, careful with that tone and name. Or did you forget the beads of subjugation are history?"

"Don't be hasty. I could always talk to Kaede to make you a string of new ones."

"Why don't I tell her to make **you** a string, so I could play "sit" and "fetch" with you, for a change."

"By the way, you be careful with those dog habits of yours. You **will** behave tonight, or I'll take you to the pound."

"If there were a moon, I would howl at it, just to spite you."

"Oh, shut up!" Sango and Miroku yelled at the same time.

"Bye, kids!" Mrs. Higurashi waved at them. Ah, youth!" she sighed and went inside the house.


	2. Chapter 2: It's the time to disco!

**Chapter II: It's the time to disco**

"This pizza thing sure is great!"

"Inuyasha, would you please not chew with your mouth open, or at least not talk with your mouth full. And it's not nice to eat on the street."

"Not, not not! What are ya'? My mom?"

"No, but since you came, you should at least behave.

"Huh! Don´t make any ideas. I only came because it´s a new moon and I can´t do squat in my time, this state I'm in. And I hate hiding. At least here I´m out in the open."

The evening promised to be very interesting, although with a prospect towards the surreal. Our four heroes had just finished dining at the Pizza Hut, and were now walking down the street. Dressed as they were, they would have blended in almost perfectly and nobody would have even suspected a strange origin, if not for some details that gave away their... "uniqueness" and made them one of the queerest groups on the street.

Inuyasha had a doggy bag in his hands, from where he periodically pulled out one triangle of pizza, that he ate exactly like someone who hadn't eaten pizza in his entire life. He was pretty strange: a tall, beautiful kid, that some people couldn't even tell whether he was a boy or a girl, with very long black hair -that would have made the envy of any woman... or rocker- a sword hanging from his waist and white sneakers which did not go at all with his dark suit, but were the only type of shoes he had accepted. Even those made him walk a little funny.

"You could have worn a pair of jeans to those sneakers, you know?" Kagome suggested.

"Jeans... oh, yeah, I tried one of the damn things on. I don't think you would have liked me with my hand down my crotch all the time. Those stupid torturing devices were really crushing my..."

"! On second thought, sneakers to a suit are very trendy."

Miroku, on the other hand, had no problem with his pair of jeans. As a top, he wore one of those doubled blouses that look like a t-shirt over a long sleeve. Over his palm tunnel he had a fingerless glove, like the ones body-builders use. Nothing funny funny about him... except he gave almost every girl he saw the eye and blew kisses, waved, winked, and uttered things like "Hello, beautiful!" even to those that were accompanied by other men. Miroku was very handsome, but that lewd behavior simply repelled the girls he was trying to get the attention of.

"Miroku, please control yourself!" Kagome begged.

"It's bigger than me! I've never seen so many beauties together in one place. This is Paradise!"

"I should have just shoved you all inside a cab, instead of taking you for a walk."

Sango said nothing, but stared in amazement, her mouth wide open, at all the tall buildings, cars, luminescent signs, lights and commercials. Sometimes she would trip and bump into people, because her head was always turned in a different direction than the one it was supposed to be. She looked like a very beautiful loon.

Kagome was constantly walking between the three, scolding and giving them directions. She was by far the most normal of them all, but all her restlessness made her look weird, too. The whole group was quite an eyeful.

"Kagome, can I have another Coke?" Inuyasha asked.

"But you've had two already. That stuff's got caffeine. It's bound to make you nervous and agitated and it's not like you're usually a picture of calmness. You should stop with the pizza, too, or else you'll stuff yourself with food and won't be able to dance anymore."

"**Dance**?!" Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha shouted at the same time and then began each one of them with his own reasons.

"But I can't dance... at least not to that thing you listen to, and call music!"

"I don't think it would be appropriate for a monk to dance."

"I'm not bloody dancin' for all the pizza in the world!"

"Quiet down you three!" Kagome tried to settle things. "Modern dancing is a lot like fighting and you're all excellent fighters. Now stop fidgeting. Here's the disco club."

They had arrived in front of a building, which said, in big, sparkling, Latin letters: DISCO BLACK. Some kind of rhythmic thud came from inside and there were lots of kids and young people standing outside it or walking in and out of it. Inuyasha made a sound like he had seen a monster that really scared him and hid behind Miroku.

"You're not taking me inside there!"

"Aaah, come on, Inuchan, it will be fun!" Kagome pulled on his arm.

"Don't you "Inuchan" me! I said you're not..."

"Kagome!" two girls and a guy waved at Kagome and approached her.

One of the girls was older, taller and had blond hair with blue eyes. Both Inuyasha and Miroku stared at her, the former because he had never encountered such a type of complexion and the latter because... well, you know Miroku! The other girl was a very delicate thing, classmate of Kagome, that Inuyasha had seen before from a distance. The guy was:

"Hojo! Michelle, Kaori! I´m so glad you came!" Kagome welcomed them warmly.

"Happy Birthday!" the girl named Kaori said. "This is from all of us!" and she handed her a huge very fluffy toy, a white puppy, which could roll its eyes and barked when pressed on its belly. Inuyasha reached out and sniffed it.

"Ahem!" Kagome went and she pulled the toy away from him, while the blond girl laughed, looking at Inuyasha from under her eyelashes.

"Hello!" Miroku took both the girls´ hands into his. "I´m Miroku. What are your names, enchanted angels?"

"This is Kaori, my classmate. She´s an excellent dancer. And this is Michelle, an exchange student holding the French and modern dance classes. She´s actually from France." Kagome explained, taking the girls´ hands out of Miroku´s.

"Misheru?" Inuyasha mangled her name, in Japanese. "France?"

"Yes, have you ever been there?" Michelle asked him, with an accent, like the purring of a cat.

Inuyasha shook his head. He seemed fascinated by the girl's looks and her way of speaking. Back in his time, only demons looked like her. But this one smelled human. Michelle seemed to like him, too.

"What´s **your** name? Are you carrying a sword?" she continued.

"Why don´t I make the introductions properly?" Kagome suggested, a little concerned by the obvious chemistry between the French girl and... her date. "This is Inuya... Inuya. He is my... cousin. Distant cousin. He lives in a village in the mountains, where they still keep to some of the old samurai habits. And these are Sango and Miroku. They´re from the same village. So don´t be surprised if they will seem a little out of place to you. And over here we have Hojo, and you´ve already met Kaori and Michelle."

"Hi, there!" Hojo said. "Do you like the puppy, Kagome? I picked it out myself."

"Yes, I love it!"

"Yes, I love it!" a jealous Inuyasha mimicked her in a low tone, but Kagome heard and kicked him with her elbow in his stomach.

"I thought you were gonna bring that strange white-haired girl." Kaori winked at her.

"E-he-he..." Kagome scratched her head. "What white-haired girl?"

"Yeah, what white-haired **girl**?" Inuyasha repeated.

"There are rumors" Kaori explained to Inuyasha "that your cousin is hanging out with a weird, bare-footed, white-haired girl, dressed in a red ancient kimono, but with a big cap on her head. "

~Girl?!~ Miroku and Sango guffawed, while Inuyasha tightened his lips and frowned disapprovingly.

"These rumors are ungrounded. The ones spreading them must have mistaken me for someone else. ~And Inuyasha for a girl.~ Shall we go inside?" Kagome hurried up to change the subject.

"Yes. Let´s go, Inuya!" Michelle said with her delicious accent and took Inuyasha´s arm, pressing against him and making him blush.

"Careful, Michelle!" Kagome strived to seem as if she was joking -although she was not- "Inuya may be my cousin, but he is still my date." and she took his other arm. Inuyasha was now very cocky.

"Well, ladies!" Miroku offered himself.

"What the heck? Let´s do **this**, too!" Sango braced herself and took Miroku´s arm, while the gentle Kaori took Hojo´s.

Inside the disco, the music resounded very loud, with a powerful and fast base, that the three feudal friends realized it was the thud that could be heard even in the street. Colorful, bright lights were continuously flashing in what otherwise had been total darkness. Strange hidden pipes gave off large amounts of steam. Sango was once again amazed. Miroku seemed to like it, especially when he saw all the provocative, beautifully dressed girls, winding around on the dance floor. Inuyasha felt his head exploding. Even in that night with no moon, being half-dog had a clear effect on his senses, meaning they were far more heightened than those of a normal human being. His eyes were sore from all the flashing lights, the base pounded from his ears into his head like a hammer, and he could feel vibrations all over inside his body, scratching his heart. For a second, he felt a faint and staggered towards Kagome.

"Are you ok?" he could read on her lips and saw she was worried. "We can go out if it´s too loud for you."

"No!" he shouted, showing off and defying what he actually felt. "I just need a little time to adapt!"

"We´ll sit down. I´ve rented a couch."

A little further away from the dance-floor, the music wasn´t so loud anymore. A waiter showed them to a couch around a table, which they occupied. He then took their orders.

"Two Cokes!" Inuyasha ordered when it was his turn, being used from the previous restaurant.

"And should I interest you in our list of cocktails?" the waiter said looking at Sango, Michelle and Miroku.

"Cocktails?" Sango asked confused.

"It´s alcohol." Kagome whispered in her ear. "You and Miroku are of age and you´re allowed to drink it in a public place."

"Oh! Alcohol in a small quantity always loosens one up. Yes, we shall have that list, if it´s not too expensive for you, Kagome."

"Don´t worry about it. I´m covered for this evening. And I´m sure you won´t over do it."

"Hey, I'm of age, too!" Inuyasha objected at Kagome's ear.

"You're 19! You have to be 21." Kagome explained.

"I ain't 19! I'm 69!"

"I don't think they would understand the fact that you were stuck to a tree for 50 years. So, drop it! You're not getting any alcohol!"

So Sango ordered something called Orange Delight and Miroku, much to the embarrassment of all the girls at the table, took the one called Sex on the Beach. Sango only took a few sips from hers and Miroku did the same. They agreed it was much milder than the sake, but the combination of different sweet flavors plus alcohol would have been devastating, especially for someone not used to it.

Inuyasha emptied off one bottle of Coke and was down to the second one, all the while watching the people breaking loose on that strange, fast music. Miroku was beginning to get the hang of it and even sustained the rhythm with one foot. Kagome did the same with a finger on the table.

"Would you like to dance, Kagome?" Hojo asked.

"I thought nobody would **ever** ask!" she answered cheerfully, getting up. "Don´t you wanna come, Inu? I could teach you..."

"I don´t think so!" and Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on the couch.

"You can teach **me**!" Miroku offered.

"**I**´ll teach **you**." Kaori also got up.

"You go ahead." Sango urged them. "For now I´ll just watch you do it."

"Come on, Sango" Miroku grabbed her arm. "When´s the last time you had fun?"

Persuaded by his words, Sango got up and they all walked towards the dance-floor. Inuyasha stayed behind, with his usual frown on his face. He had gotten used to the loud noise, but was now beginning to feel the effect of the Coke, Kagome had told him about: faster heart beat and a strange trembling in his muscles. He watched Kagome showing Sango a few simple steps. She was radiant, which meant that the dance thing really made her feel good at that point. And she was right: for a fighter, trained to control his body, it wasn't difficult to dance the way those kids did; movements were very simple, with some basic ones that had different variations. Ancient dance theater required a lot more skill and control than the jittering he saw there. For someone really athletic, it could have been a piece of cake to get the show really started. Inuyasha waited for the right time.

A lot of guys looked at Kagome dancing, because she was very elastic, and at the same time smooth and sexy. She really put her heart in what she was doing. That Hojo guy kind of touched Kagome a lot, though. Inuyasha felt a growl coming, but abstained as he saw Michelle looking at him: she had stayed behind, too.

"Why aren't you out there, Misheru? Weren´t you like an expert in this dancing thing?"

She giggled and came closer to him:

"I thought I'd stay here with you to get to know eachother. I love the way you pronounce my name, by the way. And your accent is very strange, like nothing I've ever heard in Japan nowadays."

"Yeah, you talk pretty funny, too!"

She was dangerously audacious, nothing like the Japanese girls. With such a woman, even a demon was bound to get into trouble. Inuyasha didn't need something like that, but he suddenly saw Kagome spying on them, while she was dancing, and quickly approached Michelle and opened up a subject, so as to seem that they, too, were entertaining themselves.

"Tell me about what's going on here. We don't have discos back where I come from. This music is new to me."

"I thought so. What do you want to know?"

Kagome couldn't believe how jealous she felt. ~Why that double-crossing…~ She let her feelings out through dancing, moving closer to Hojo. Inuyasha saw that and snickered. He listened to Michelle as she was explaining some things to him. The type of songs varied from a kind of long, repetitive pieces of music, mainly instrumental and electronic, which Michelle identified for Inuyasha as "house" and "club" to slightly more complex, but shorter songs with lyrics, most of them in other languages. Different names, like "hip-hop", or "reggae" or simply "dance" entered one ear and left the other, but not a single move or step escaped Inuyasha´s vigilant eye. The songs were glued together perfectly, according to rhythm, a process called "mixing".

"Your friends seem to have taken a liking to this music." Michelle said.

Miroku, in particular, was very good at dancing: he was what is usually known as a "natural". Kaori had no problem showing him lots of steps and moves. He easily undertook the task of also teaching Sango, since Kagome seemed very preoccupied with Hojo, who was accepting all her attention happily. As he watched Hojo making his move on Kagome, the way he couldn't bring himself to do it, although he sometimes would have liked it, Inuyasha mercilessly bit his lip, feeling the caffeine kicking in stronger and stronger.

A new song began. It had playful notes and seemed a favorite of Kagome, since she jumped up and clapped her hands at the sound of it. The lyrics were in Japanese so Inuyasha could understand. It began: "I'm dancing under your eyes/ And the wind caries away my dream/ Of flying into the sky with you."

Inuyasha startled: did he just see Kagome giving him the eye? The song continued: "You don't seem to know my feelings,/ For, when I come closer to you,/ You always treat me so cold."

No, he didn´t imagine it, for there it happened again: Kagome threw him a look. She was singing to those lyrics, and when she looked at him that way, he felt like she was dedicating them to him.

"If you knew how much I love you,/ You would let me carry you towards the stars,/ Bathed in lights of fire./ Is love just a game to you?" ~Is she teasing me?~

The refrain went: "You're playing games with me/ But you're afraid of my lovin'/ As if I'd want to eat you up/" ~Oh, come oon!~

Kagome sang the lyrics and made a playful move on Hojo, as if wanting to scratch or tear him apart.

~Eat me up?~ Inuyasha thought. ~Right now I would eat that guy up. He´s lucky there is no moon, or I would have sooo turned into a yokai!~

Sango returned to their place in the middle of the song, all sweaty, and collapsed on the couch.

"It´s great, but I´ve had enough for now. Are you sure you don´t wanna try it, my friend?" she addressed Inuyasha who said nothing, and just stared at the dance-floor.

"I believe in your love/ But I can't wait anymore/ All I really want is you." the song went, but when she turned towards the couch, Kagome saw no trace of Inuyasha or Michelle. She looked at Sango and asked her with her hands where they were, but Sango shrugged. ~Are they gone? Sonofa...~

"Hey! Look at that!" Hojo drew her attention towards a group of people, who seemed to be gathering around something, clapped their hands and gasped in amazement.

"Hm, must be some show offs!" Kagome presumed. "Wait, where are Miroku and Kaori?"

There was a sudden change of rhythm, as the DJ mixed the song with another one, making it faster and more agressive, yet keeping the basic line. Kagome saw her class-mate flying through the air, inside the circle which had formed in the middle of the dance floor. The kids whistled loudly, approving. Kagome made her way through the crowd, together with Hojo. What she saw was the surprise of her life. Inside, there were two couples of dancers: Miroku, who was spinning Kaori around like a pro at a dance contest and... Inuyasha with Michelle. The French girl was very confident and you could see she was a professional, but she didn't actually dance with her partner, but was more a beautiful prop in his show. With a different style than Miroku, who was very smooth and "slippery", the hanyo was rougher, as was his nature, but nevertheless very good. He had thrown away his jacket and the long hair was now undone. His athletic, unreal movements looked a lot like the Brazilian martial art called Capoera, but were way more spectacular. He danced as if he was protecting Michelle from an invisible foe, and he managed to do that in the rhythm.

"Wow! Can that guy move!" "And he´s also cute!" "Must be a fighter!" "A sexy one!" Kagome could hear the comments around and, as much as she hated to admit it, she found them correct. Inuyasha saw Kagome and flew at her, as if wanting to attack her, but stopped at a very short distance, ranking her.

"And you´re afraid of my lovin´/ As if I´d want to eat you up" he mimicked the last song lyrics, looking Kagome right in the eye. Everyone noticed that and released wolfish sounds. The song was now finished and the music stopped all together. There was a round of applause which Inuyasha received, stepping proudly in the middle of the circle, hand in hand with Michelle, and Miroku by taking a bow together with Kaori.

Kagome was boiling up. She entered the circle, grabbed Inuyasha by the shoulder and turned him around to face her. The kids whistled. The two confronted looks, Inuyasha breathing a little hard, threads of sweaty hair stuck to his forehead. Kagome did not know whether to slap him or kiss him. ~Damn it, he **is** sexy! Even as a human!~ She felt like she was seeing him naked all over again.

"Kiss her!" someone clamored and there followed a choir of bellowing voices: "Kiss-her! Kiss-her! Kiss-her!" The lights went down low with a headlight on the two. Kagome did not know what to do. Inuyasha put an end to the circus, much to the disillusion of their spectators, backing up from Kagome, turning around and walking away, in sounds of disappointment. But they didn´t last, since the DJ had put on a love song and the crowd scattered, while boys and girls began pairing up, for the slow dancing. Michelle cast her arms around Inuyasha, drawing very close to him. Inuyasha now looked clumsy for a change. But, about the same height, they completed eachother so well that Kagome felt like crying. Nevertheless, she was grateful he hadn't kissed her in front of all those people. Hojo offered his hand to Kagome, who felt like everything but dancing. However, she accepted his invitation.

It was a very beautiful and sad song. It was in French. Kagome understood it and the lyrics felt like a knife to her heart: "Everything will change in one night/ We won´t believe it´s real./ Should I keep my hopes up for tomorrow?/ Should I dare to feel you,/ Touch you, fall into you?/ You look at me, my head is spinning around./ And all I wish is for you to still be here tomorrow."

She couldn´t take her eyes off Inuyasha and the boy looked at her, much in the same way. Everytime their eyes met as they slowly span around with their partners, all they thought was that they should have been in eachothers arms, instead of the ones they were dancing with. It was like they were the only ones in the club.

Although Kagome thought otherwise, Michelle was whispering the translation of the song, which was called "Dearest", into Inuyasha´s ear: "Where are you late at night, when I need you?/ Why won´t you come and find me?"

Inuyasha would have kissed Kagome right there, but it would have aroused suspicion among her friends. He couldn't have let their cover be blown. If there had ever been a time he wished they were a normal boy and girl, that was it. Those lyrics spoke by themselves:

"For every second that I did not know you,/ Dearest, take me in your arms and hold me tight./ For every moment I felt like crying,/ Dearest, take me in your arms and kiss me."

Without a warning, Michelle kissed Inuyasha, although he was reluctant to co-operate. Kagome ran away from Hojo's arms and squeezed swiftly through the crowd.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha cryed out, breaking free from Michelle who shrugged, confused.

***

"Kagome? What happened?" Sango asked when she saw her coming.

Instead of an answer she grabbed one cocktail from the table and threw the contents down her throat.

"No!" Sango snatched the glass out of her hand, but it was already empty.

In the mean time, Kagome had drunk off also Miroku's cocktail.

"Men are pigs!" she stated, slaming the empty glass on the table.

"Did you have to drink those?"

"I was thirsty... Whoops!" she staggered to one side.

"Kagome, it wasn't my idea!" Inuyasha shouted, heading towards her, but the girl ran away once again.

With agility, she climbed inside the D.J.'s booth, not up the stairs, but on the rail in front of it.

"Inuyasha, she drank all that alcohol…" Sango told him.

"And now, it's the time for Karaoke!" the D.J. announced on the microphone. "Our first contestant is already here. What's your name, beautiful girl?"

"Aaah… Ka..gome…" they could hear her utter with difficulty; she was already tipsy.

"Hello, Kagome! Being our first contestant, we'll let you chose from our list of songs…"

"Ooh, this one, this one… I want this one…"

"She sounds… drunk." Miroku noticed.

"Ok!" the DJ said. "Please step up on our stage and keep your eyes on the screen for the lyrics. Ladies and gentlemen: Kagome with "You're my number one"!"

Applause. Everyone looked up as the headlight fell on a small stage, near the DJ's booth. Kagome was there, with a microphone in her hands. Some people recognized her from before and acclaimed her. The song began. It had an enticing, oriental rythm. Kagome moved slightly to it. The kids encouraged her, clapping their hands to the rythm. She sang:

"You´re my lover\ Undercover\ You´re my sacred passion and I have no other." and she swayed her hips.

Inuyasha´s jaw dropped. Sango covered her eyes.

"Hey! She´s good!" Miroku told Kaori.

Kagome sang on more confident:

"You´re delicious\ So capricious\ If I´ll find that you don´t want me I´ll be vicious" and as a personal addition she shouted into the microphone: "I love you, Inuyashaaa!"

"That´s it! I´m getting her down!" Inuyasha decided.

"No, wait!" Sango stopped him. "Don´t make a scene."

Kagome looked like she was just warming up. She threw her hair artistically over her shoulder and continued:

"Say you´ll love me\ And you´ll have me\ In your arms forever and I won´t forget it." and she sent a kiss into the crowd.

"How could she have gotten drunk so fast?" Sango wondered.

"Don´t you get it? Something´s wrong with her! I knew this was a bad idea from the start. Get Miroku and our stuff. We´re outta here!" and Inuyasha set out towards the stage.

In the meantime, Kagome gave her best:

"Say you´ll miss me\ Come and kiss me\ Take me up to heaven and you won´t regret it."

Inuyasha grabbed her arm.

"Let´s go, Kagome!"

"NO!" she shouted and escaped his grip. "Why don´t you go back to blondie?"

Inuyasha felt a hand on his back.

"Kid, don´t make any trouble!"

It was one of the club´s bodyguards. But Inuyasha couldn´t care less who it was and proved it by punching the man down the stairs. He threw Kagome on his shoulder, although she was not happy about it.

"You put me down, you dog!"

Two more bodyguards swooped upon him, but Inuyasha had no problem disposing of them, using only his legs. He headed towards the exit. Sango and Miroku followed.

When they came out, Inuyasha put Kagome down. With no warning, she slapped him as hard as she could. Saying nothing, Inuyasha blinked amazed and hurt. He slowly reached to his reddened cheek. Kagome covered her mouth, terrified at what she had done, torn by the look in his eyes. Her heart burned like fire and stung her painfully.

"A cab?" one driver asked them.

Sango and Miroku came out, running. Behind them, a lot of bodygards treaded on the ground.

"There they are!"

Inuyasha pushed Kagome inside the cab, with Sango and Miroku joining them.

"Just go! Anywhere!" he urged the driver.

***

It was almost one week since she had gone to the Feudal Era. She simply couldn´t face him. It had already been bad enough that she had to appologize and pour a bunch of lies to Kaori, Hojo and Michelle... The worst part was that Inuyasha would usually come to get her, when she stayed away for that long, but this time, neither he, nor Sango or Miroku seemed to know she still existed.

Things had gone horrible on her birthday. She had tried to bring Inuyasha into her world and failed miserably. One more proof that it could have never worked out between them. And it wasn´t even his fault. She had forced Inuyasha to act like someone from her own time, her own kind and he had done his best. So she held herself entirely responsible for what had happened.

Since that night, Kagome was sad, quiet and kept everything to herself, no matter how nice her whole family was to her. She was convinced that not even her mom could forgive her if she knew what she had done. The girl cried a lot in her room, listening to "Dearest" over and over again and burrying her face in the shirt Inuyasha had worn. The jewel shards had lost their purple gleem and their faded aspect showed exactly what went on in their owner´s soul. The stinging sensation in her heart reminded her constantly of the one she felt in her palm, when she had slapped Inuyasha. The look on his human face had become a cliche in her mind that tormented her days, while her nights were tormented by nightmares.

It was a rainy afternoon and she had locked herself in her room. She lay on the bed, hugging her pillow, crying. "Dearest" was playing on her mp3 device. She could hear the rain pouring heavily and every drop of rain crushed her soul. Suddenly, there was a knock on he door. She raised her head.

"Mom? Please... I´m ok..."

"Kagome?"

She startled. It was Inuyasha´s voice. She hurried to unlock the door. The last time she had seen him, he was human and that image of him was the one that had stayed with her. Now, when she opened the door she startled again seeing him as a half-demon: bare-footed, wearing his red kimono, the long silvery hair hanging down his shoulders, unhuman piercing eyes, dog ears... it was how Kagome had missed seing him. She let him in and closed the door.

He looked at her, frowning, at a loss. She didn´t know what to say either. Inuyasha finally broke the silence.

"How... are you?"

"I´m fine. Been going to school. And you?"

"I´ve been keeping busy, too..."

Silence fell again. Inuyasha continued:

"I wanted to give you a little time on your own. But I thought you´d come by yourself in a day or two. It seems it´s me who always has to drag you across time."

Kagome smiled slightly. He looked at her more attentively.

"You´ve been crying!"

"Oh..." Kagome lowered her head, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Inuyasha raised her face gently by the chin. He spoke kindly:

"Don´t tell me you´ve been crying all this time."

"Don´t be nice to me!" and she pulled away from him. "I´ve been awful to you."

She reached to his cheek with her fingers, but withdrew them, as if it burned her. Inuyasha leaned his cheek into her palm and closed his eyes.

"Now I feel better..." he whispered.

"I´m sorry... for hitting you!" Kagome also whispered. "I just... I just..."

"It´s ok!"

"No, it´s not ok! I insisted that you do something I consider fun and I was certain you´ll fit in. But I got drunk and made a fool of myself. I slapped you. All because I saw you with another girl."

Inuyasha pricked up his ears.

"You were jealous."

"No!" Kagome was all red. "I mean yes."

He looked away and mumbled:

"I was, too."

"What was that?"

But he didn´t repeat it. Instead he reached inside one of his large sleeves and pulled out something, which he handed her. She looked at it: it was a beautiful, small comb, made of green bone, encrusted with small white gems that formed a crescent. It glistened like the pale moonlight. Kagome looked inquiring into Inuyasha´s eyes.

"It was my mother´s. She would sometimes comb my hair with it." he remembered, with a smile. "I want you to have it."

"Like a present?"

He nodded.

"Thank you."

Kagome was very touched. She knew how much Inuyasha had loved and respected his mother and how much he missed her. He had given her an object that reminded him of the one being that had loved him truly and unconditionally, something so rare for a hanyo. ~Even I have started to have expectations from him. I don´t deserve this present.~ She remembered Sango had suggested her she should talk to Inuyasha about the turmoil inside her.

"Inuyasha... I..." but once again, the words wouldn´t come to her.

The boy looked at her intensely. He pulled her into his arms. The rain kept pouring. Kagome felt like she was sinking into him. A nice warmth got hold of her. Inuyasha stroke her long soft, hair.

"Should I dare to feel you\ Touch you, fall into you?" the song went in the background.

"Dearest... " Inuyasha whispered and Kagome didn´t know whether he was naming the song or calling her his dearest.

"Is this real? Are you really here, in my room, holding me?"

"I´ve missed you."

He touched her cheek with his. Kagome felt her body reacting in ways so new to her. It was very pleasant, but at the same time, her hurt stung her violently. The warmth she was feeling was turning into a fever.

"Kagome... I don´t wanna let go." he whispered into her ear. "I´m losing myself into you." she felt his lips on her cheek.

She clenched her fingers into his back and hugged him stronger:

"I wish this would never end!"

Suddenly, Inuyasha felt something strange and alarming. It was the same sensation that he had when he was turning into a yokai. He quickly broke contact with Kagome.

"What is it?" the girl asked, confused.

"Something´s not right!"

He felt an earthquake inside of him and the terrible urge to tear Kagome apart like a pray and devour her. He dashed out on the rim of the window and stood in the pouring rain, breathing deeply. His whole body was pulsating. The cold water soothed him.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome looked at him worryingly.

"I´m ok. But for a second there, I thought I was..."

"You were what?"

"Nothing!" ~I must look into this. Somehow, it was being close to Kagome that made me ready to transform. I could have hurt her. Damn it!~

"Come inside. You´ll catch cold!"

"Huh! Don´t be silly!" he barked in his old, usual way. "It´s like you said: a ten foot monster can´t bring me down. Do you think that a few drops of rain or a slap in the face can?"

Kagome became cross, when hearing his tone:

"For a second there I thought something, too: that you had actually grown mature and sensitive. But I guess I was wrong. Why don´t you give me the real reason you came here?"

"We´ve got a quest going on, and you´re moping around in your room, listening to corny music."

"It wasn´t corny one minute ago, when you were "losing yourself into me"!"

"Please! It´s not like my mouth hurts to say sissy stuff like that. By the way, Sango said you´ve got something to tell me. So, go ahead and spit it out."

"Forget it!" Kagome yelled and she slammed the window, making him fall off.

"You hurry up and come to the well!" he shouted from the yard.

"Shut up! I´m coming, you big bully." Kagome answered gathering her things, not sure whether she had dreamed everything, imagined it, or witnessed it for real.


	3. Chapter 3: Almost full moon

**Chapter Three: Almost Full Moon**

Feudal era sure was a strange period. It was a time of darkness, sorcery, and weird tales. Lately, there had even been rumors about something lurking undergound. People were disappearing, being pulled down under, never to be seen again. A messenger from a distant village came to ask lady Kaede for advice and help, since her powers as a miko were well known. Of course, the old priestess suspected the implication of a jewel shard and could think of no one more appropriate then Kagome and Inuyasha to look into the matter. So, one Friday afternoon, the team gathered up and set off on a journey. Inuyasha knew the region they were heading towards. He said it was renowned for the apparition of demons of the most dangerous types: elementals. In Myoga's opinion, the messenger spoke of an earth demon. To its attacks, the most vulnerable and usually chosen victims were humans that succumbed easily to their earthly nature and desires.

So, they proceeded: Sango and Miroku riding the two-tailed and Inuyasha carrying swiftly Kagome on his back: it was quicker for her than by bike. But it was a pretty long road and before they knew it, the sun was already setting. Although it wasn't much till they reached their destination, Inuyasha insisted on stopping in a glade, where they found an abandoned cottage. They would spend the night there. They ate by the fire, talked a little and turned in.

They were now all sleeping down on the floor -Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango and Miroku- on a large "bed", improvised out of blankets and rags. Sango and Miroku were fast asleep. Kitten Kirara was napping, rolled at their feet, purring softly. With Inuyasha you could never tell whether he was sleeping, or merely watching with his eyes closed, as he was always so fast to jump to his feet, at the first sign of danger.

Kagome couldn't sleep. She was quietly looking at Inuyasha: lying on his side, with a piece of wood under his head, like a samurai, arms tucked inside the sleeves of his haori. His breathing was almost imperceptible, and one thread of hair rested on his cheek. She studied his sweet, feminine features that had become so familiar and dear to her: round face with perfect white skin, long, black eyelashes, aristocratic nose and perfectly outlined mouth. The thick, black eyebrows, almost always gathered up in a menacing frown and the strong pointy chin, were the only distinctly masculine features, which but only emphasized his fine traits. And there was the problem of that small mouth: could it blabber sometimes, mostly at the wrong time! Watching him sleep, Kagome could remember the saying her mother would tell her, when Sota was a baby: . Probably because it's the only time when they are peaceful and quiet. Such was the case with Inuyasha. ~What if I kissed him right now?~ Kagome suddenly thought. Or she could remove that thread of hair and fondle his soft cheek. She chose to ignore those thoughts and turned to her other side instead.

It was one week since he had given her the comb. All that time she could think of nothing else but the moment he took her in her arms. His words still resounded in her ears. At the same time, a feeling of danger lingered: she felt it inside her chest. Something bad could still happen. She was having the nightmares more and more often. With each one, her fear of losing Inuyasha grew stronger, but so did the desire to keep him close, at all cost.

There was an incredibly big moon in the sky. It wasn't full yet, still lacked in perfect roundness, but it had a mystical halo around it and cast such an unbelievable light that the night was completely illuminated. It was that light that came through the window directly on Kagome's face. She found it irresistible, magical, mysterious.

~The moon virtually runs Inuyasha's life.~

She had noticed that, beside the obvious transformation that came with the absence of the selenial satellite, Inuyasha acted differently according to different phases of the moon. He was wilder when it was increasing, with a peak at the full moon moment and he was more human when it was decreasing. Not to mention that, despite his solar courage and vitality, Inuyasha was moody and sensitive, definitely lunar at the core.

Kagome felt something like a second moon, burning the back of her neck. She turned to find Inuyasha's glowing eyes, looking at her: big, golden, puppy dog eyes, with a unique naughty gleem.

"Can't sleep either, can you?" he whispered.

"No. It must be this strange moon."

Inuyasha approved with a smile. There was something different about him, the way he smiled, the way he looked at her. He glowed in the moonlight and Kagome now found him irresistible.

"Listen, will you come with me someplace?" he whispered again.

He seemed to have a plan.

"Where? What about the others?"

"We'll come back before they wake up. C'mon! You're not scared of the dark, are 'ya?" he teased her.

Kagome denied it with a frown.

"C'mon, then! I want to show you something."

They went outside the cottage. Inuyasha took Kagome's hand, to her surprise and lead her towards the moon. She was speechless but she could remember the talk she had with Sango, on her birthday: "He doesn't even hold my hand". Could he had eavesdropped on that talk?

They entered a cluster of trees and took a path which Inuyasha seemed to know. Because of that great moon, it all looked like in the middle of a blue day. It was also very hot for that time of the year. There was no wind and the trees seemed giant silver statues.

"It's so beautiful!" Kagome whispered.

"Just wait till you see this!" Inuyasha winked at her, accomplice.

"See what?"

No answer.

"Inuyasha, why all the mystery? You're kinda' weird, you know?"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that!"

When they came out of the trees, Kagome saw they were standing near the edge of a cliff and down, sparkling under the rays of the moon, there was a beautiful crystal lake, surrounded by thickets of cane. On the right there was a path which lead all the way down to a small, sandy beach.

"Wow! This lake is shaped like a…

"Like an eye" Inuyasha completed the sentence. The cane sticks are its eyelashes and the moon mirroring in it looks exactly like a yellow iris.

"Inuyasha! It's a dog's eye!" Kagome exclaimed. "But wait: do you know this lake? Have you been here before?"

"Damn right I have! Here, hold this." and he handed her the Tetsusaiga.

Then he turned on his heels and ran down the path, shouting "U-huuu!" at the top of his lungs. Kagome followed him.

"Inuyasha wait! Where are you going?"

Instead of an answer she heard another shout and received the red haori right in her arms, for he had taken it off and thrown it in the air.

"What are you doing?"

"Well, YOU said we never have any fun!" and he threw his shirt at her.

Kagome grabbed it and it was not long before she also found herself with another part of the kimono in her arms. With a splash, Inuyasha had already dived in the water, by the time she reached the shore. He popped out his head, shaking the hair off his face.

"C'mon in! The water's fantastic!"

Kagome emptied her arms on the sand. She looked: yeah, all his cloths were there.

"Are you crazy?" she yelled. "You drag me here in the middle of the night to go skinny dipping with you by the moon light, like two drunken college kids?"

"Ha! I knew it: you're scared Chicken!"

"I'm not scared!" ~Try ashamed.~ she thought, glad that he couldn't see her blushing.

"Look, Kagome: I went with you to your disco thing. Now you do something I consider fun."

"I won't! And it´s not fair you should try to make me feel guilty, by bringing up the disco incident."

"You come in by yourself, or I'll drag you in, cloths on and everything." he growled and swam towards her.

"NO! Stop right there!" she yelled so loud that Inuyasha stopped, in a daze. "Don't you come out! I'll come in."

She hid behind the cane thicket near by and took off her clots, mumbling. Inuyasha was swimming on his back, criticizing her:

"I don't understand why you have to make such a big deal out of it. It's not like a haven't seen a naked girl before? Or like I haven't seen you naked.

Kagome answered with a mumble.

"And you've seen me back at you're house.

Kagome growled and Inuyasha heard her entering the water with difficulty.

"I think, it's just stupid you went behind there, where it's all muddy and tangly…

"Oh, shut up, already!"

Kagome was in the water to her throat, as she came out of the cane thicket.

"There! Happy? Think you're sooo brave!"

Inuyasha grinned and sunk under the water. Kagome screamed when she felt something grabbing her leg. The boy came out laughing.

"Oh, yeah?" and she splashed him right in his face then swam away. When she looked to see what he was doing, he had disappeared. She took a deep breath and dived. The water was so clear that you could see everything. The lake seemed very deep. Something pulled her hair, but when she turned, there was no one there. She turned again and Inuyasha touched noses with her. Kagome went up for air and he followed.

"You see? It's fun!"

"You're right. Let's swim as fast as we can."

The girl distanced herself quickly from Inuyasha, but he outswam her easily. Now, Kagome grabbed him by his leg.

"Let go!" he laughed. "No fair!"

"You should let the girl win. That's fair."

And they played on. Kagome was so glad to see Inuyasha laughing like that. The usual frown had vanished from his face completely, and he was cheerful like a child doing something forbidden. Soon, Kagome forgot all about being naked and felt simply at ease. She couldn't explain what had happened to her friend, to be so playful, he, who was always too serious, but she found it simply extraordinary. In the blue night, the moon watched over the two, as it slowly crossed the sky.

They were playing tag, swimming and diving and hiding under water, laughing and splashing around. Inuyasha swam very fast, almost like a fish. Kagome was also a skilled swimmer and did her best to keep up with the boy's pranks. It was her turn to catch and tag him so she dived in, but could only see threads of silver hair as Inuyasha swam quickly behind her. He swirled around her, so that, no matter how many times she turned, he was always behind her. The girl unexpectedly span the other way around, catching him by his shoulders and surfacing with him.

"Gotcha, you doggy-eared water imp!"

"You're pretty good yourself, Kagome."

"Thanks! Coming from you…" and she laughed.

They looked at eachother's moonlit, dripping wet, smiling faces: sparkling eyes, red cheeks, strands of wet hair on their foreheads, rosy lips… Kagome's heart started strongly when Inuyasha approached and kissed her briefly, playfully biting her lip. He then looked at her with big, questioning eyes, surprised himself by his own move. It was the first time he kissed her. Kagome felt like kissing him back, when…

"Ouch!"

"What is it, Kagome?"

"A cramp." she whined. "In the left leg. It's so painful!"

"Lean on me. I'll take you to the shore. You forced yourself too much. And the water is pretty cold.

"It's OK. I really had fun."

Inuyasha swam to shore with the girl in his arms. Kagome was limping, so she sat down and massaged her shank. She felt warm: Inuyasha had put his fire-rat large haori around her shoulders. He became very concerned when he saw her leg.

"The muscle is too tense. You have to pinch it, like that."

While he took care of her leg, Kagome felt very embarrassed again. Eyes down, she tightened the kimono around her… but that didn't help much: it had his smell. She felt a little dizzy, both from the water and from what had happened. She couldn't help wondering how Inuyasha took everything so lightly. Was he toying with her feelings?

"I hope I'm not hurting you."

Kagome took a second to realize he was talking about her leg. She shook her head, eyes still down.

"Why won't you look at me? You're being silly again!"

Kagome burst:

"Stop calling me "silly" just because I feel embarrassed about us waltzing around butt-naked! We just don't do these things where I come from." ~Unless…~ but she was too ashamed to finish her thought.

Inuyasha was amused:

"Well, we don't do this here either, but I noticed you have a problem with it and thought it might help solve it."

Kagome couldn't believe her ears.

"But if it's that bad, no sweat: I'll get dressed." he got up and put on his kimono trousers.

If there had been a time, Kagome felt the urge of saying "Sit!" to him, more powerfully, it had to be that moment.

"Listen, you pompous wind bag!"

She got to her feet, although she was still limping, and faced him. ~This should be good.~ Inuyasha thought and crossed his arms.

"You've got a lot of problems and issues. Do I try to fix you?" pricking him in his chest with her finger. "No! I accept… I like you just the way you are, with your teasing, and whims, rages and… and half-demon complexes. But I know I'm not allowed to get close to you, for some reason. Not in a human way. You know that, too, and keep me at a distance, I can understand that. So now, what? You pretend to leave your guard down and expect me to do the same?"

"I didn't pretend anything, OK?" he snubbed her.

Not mad, he was rather disappointed she could think he was pretending.

"The truth is, I want to let you come closer. I´ve been wanting to do so for some time now. But I know myself too damn well to allow myself to do that. You see the world I live in. You know what I am and what I can do if I lose it. I fear that one day your love won't be enough to bring me back to my senses."

Kagome's eyes filled up with tears. She leaned her forehead on his bear shoulder.

"Never doubt my love!" she sighed.

He could feel the warm tears on her eyelashes, on his skin. He raised her face in his palm and whispered:

"Don't cry, Kagome."

"Inuyasha…"

"I know… dearest."

Their lips met in a gentle kiss that their souls, scorched by longing and waiting, so long expected. Inuyasha pulled her close to him and the red haori fell down from her shoulders. Kagome felt her heart exploding into million pieces as her skin touched his. She was overwhelmed by sensations she had never known before, by Inuyasha's strength and sensuality. Everything she was sensing drove her crazy: his hands on her back, her breasts pressed to his chest so that his strong heart beat became hers, their mouths searching for one another, tasting one another.

Inuyasha loved the smell of her, the taste of her, the way her skin felt. On a more subtle note, he could also sense her spirit, her thoughts and feelings: she was so sweet and pure… Yet, in one corner, he saw darkness spreading like a black web, ready to pour into him as well. It was the same thing that had attacked him the last time he held her, back at her house. He pulled away from her. Picking up the kimono, he covered once again her naked figure.

Kagome felt her knees weakening and collapsed. Inuyasha caught her and sat her down on the sand. She was trembling, like a bird in the hunter's net.

"Are you cold, Kagome?" and he hugged her closer.

"No," she whispered "I'm not cold."

She couldn't have been, because he felt her burning up. She put her head on his chest, eyes closed, her fingers twisting one thread of wet, silver hair.

"I think I… what I feel is… is that I want you." and she giggled softly, but very provocative.

There was a strange dark light at Kagome's neck and Inuyasha felt something dark flowing into him. His head was spinning and his body reacting in a way he knew too well. ~It's that urge again… like I could eat her up! This time is stronger; It's turning me into a demon… ~ He pushed Kagome away from him.

"Hey!"

"Don't… come… near me!" and he released a beastly roar, down on his knees and shaking, as he was fighting the transformation.

Kagome suddenly sobered up. Under her eyes, Inuyasha's demonic aura was pulsating in tints of blood-red. He was turning into a full-demon.

"Inuyasha! What happened?!"

"Ruun, stupid!" he howled and got up: a huge red-eyed animal, with fangs and sharp long claws his cheeks slashed with the scarlet signs of the youkai.

"Huh! Just like you to be turning into a demon in a moment like this!"

Kagome was so pissed. She simply walked towards him, unafraid and kicked him between his legs as hard as she could. With a yelp, the huge creature fell to the ground, melting away into Inuyasha in mere seconds.

"And who are you calling "stupid", stupid?"

"Ka… go…me?!" Inuyasha moaned, crouching on one side and hugging his private parts.

"No, "Kagome" for you, dog-boy! Man, this sure beats the "Sit!" command!"

~It sure does!~ Inuyasha thought, without being able to speak… or breath properly for that matter.

Kagome got dressed, then she threw the kimono at him and walked away, very stuck-up.

** *

Inuyasha was sitting on the cliff, looking at the almost full moon in the dog-eye lake. Not quite sure what had happened, he was trying to put together piece to piece in order to understand. He could still hear her saying: ~I want you~ and, every time he did, the sensation of that darkness flowing into him appeared as well. It was no threat now: the source of it wasn't there but it hurt to acknowledge that the source was… Kagome.

Inuyasha covered his eyes with one hand. ~I want you.~ he heard again. It wa like she wanted his very soul.

~Kagome… I want you, too. But not like that!When did I turn into a dark desire of your heart? There is something inside you that is tormenting your soul and trying to drive me into hurting you.~

He lay on his back, analyzing further. ~My dark desire is to become a full-demon. Every time I was about to, she brought me back, with the help of the jewel, because she loved me the way I am, without wanting anything from me. But it seems that changed. Could it be that she can also transform me into a demon, if her love is not pure? Could she have activated my dark desire with hers?~

There was however a peculiar detail: when enraged, Kagome became herself again and could use the positive energy of the jewel. ~When she was mad about me turning into a full-demon, she kicked me... with all her love and brought me back.~

The whole thing sounded so crazy, but plausible. He remembered the strange light at Kagome's neck.

~It was the jewel all the time! It became impure and connected to my demon part. The sacred jewel makes everything stronger. It increses both the positive and the negative.~

The mystery was now almost solved. Two details still lacked. First was how her desire to be close to him could make her suffer, thus becoming impure. As outspoken as she was, Kagome could have come out and simply said something to him. It takes two to solve a "problem" like that. Inuyasha felt a slight fever in his cheeks at the thought of that. He smiled lightly. After all that time his heart had healed enough to make him want to open up to Kagome, without the fear of getting hurt. To him, feelings, sensations, intimacy were something very natural, no big deal at all. It wasn't like he was uptight or something. He just didn't like to talk about it, because it would have been a huge energy waste.

The second thing that bothered him was what was inside of Kagome. Inuyasha had a hunch.

A strange noise scratched his sensitive ears, like a rustle inside the ground. Inuyasha jumped to his feet, his ears turned to the direction of the sound. There was also a strange smell, definitely demonic. Then a terrible scream: somebody calling his name. It felt like a spike to his heart when he realized it was Kagome. Without a moment to lose, he ran as fast as he could.

***

~Just who does he think he is?~

Kagome dried up her eyes with a sleeve, but the tears wouldn't stop pouring. She felt very ashamed and scorned.

~What kind of cruel game is he playing?~

She could take everything from him, but being played on like that.

~It's just stupid! Why would he turn into a demon right at that time?~

Somehow though she knew it had something to do with her, with her new feelings which she couldn't accept. She wanted him for herself, in a steady relationship and she feared, she knew it couldn't have been possible. They were too different, they lived in different times. Eventually, one of them would have to make a painful compromise, leaving everything behind for the sake of the other. But she could never leave her family, nor could she ask Inuyasha to become a human. It all seemed hopeless. When they kissed, something inside her blossomed, like a beautiful red rose, but at the same time all that hopelessness poured into her, at the thought that she could always lose everything. ~What's the point? Protect the whole world, while I myself suffer from not being able to lead a normal life with the one I love? Have a family... How could I have a family with a...demon?~

She stopped at a short distance from the cottage, threw herself on the grass and began crying her heart out. The moon watched coldly from the sky. Lurking under, there was something else watching.

~I can't take it anymore!~

Something burned her chest. She thought it was the jewel shards. She took them off and threw them way.

~Somebody else should have these. I'm done with everything.~

But just as she was about to leave, something rustled in the grass. She saw a small lump approaching the jewel shards. It was something dark, which, despite its size gave her a creepy feeling. She heard another rustle and another and another. From all around her, small creatures approached the shards. Kagome instinctively threw herself on the jewel pieces, taking firm hold of them. The dark things surrounded her, uniting into a moving, black circle, which rose menacing into a thick, gooey wall. It looked like tar. The wall poured over her. Before she was swallowed up completely, she could manage one last scream:

"INUYASHAAAA!"

***

"Miroku! Miroku!" Sango shook his shoulder.

"What?" he woke up.

"Where do you suppose they went?" and she pointed at the empty places of Kagome and Inuyasha.

"Heheeh! The night is indeed too beautiful to be wasted." Miroku winked at her.

"You don't suppose... No, it's not like them at all!"

"Well, why shouldn't it be? Aren't they human after all? I mean one of them is. And from what I know, demons do it, too."

"Do what?"

Miroku raised an eyebrow at her.

"Ah, you're such a pig! Is that all you ever think of? Maybe they simply went for a walk, by the moon light."

"I don't think so! Do you know how dogs are in this time of the year, on a moon like this? I'm even starting to think he insisted on spending the night here on purpose. Speaking of which... now that we're alone..."

"Shhht!" Sango put her hand over his mouth. "Did you hear that? Is someone... crying?"

Suddenly, Kirara awoke and started growling and changed from the sweet kitten, into the fierce beast.

"What is it, Kirara?"

They could here a rustling sound and then, a terrible scream sending shivers down their spines.

"It's Kagome! Let's go!"

When they came out, the sight filled them with terror: somekind of a big, moving lump of tar had swallowed up Kagome. One hand, in which she held her jewel shards, was still sticking out. Before their eyes, the monster covered the remaining hand.

"Miroku! I can't throw my Hiraikotsu at that thing while Kagome's inside."

"I'm on it!" Miroku said, uncovering his palm. "I'll only suck that substance. Wind Tunnel!"

What happened next was very unexpected. In the strong current of Miroku's wind tunnel, the monster began desintegrating, but, instead of disappearing inside, the dark fluid plugged the palm tunnel and covered Miroku up. For a moment, they could see Kagome, all coated in the black stuff, spitting and coughing. But, in a few seconds, the monster was replenished from the ground and rebuild itself, once again covering the girl. The demon was now angry and heading towards Miroku. Sango, riding Kirara, sweapt him away from its path.

"Are you all right, Miroku?"

"This stuff is very thick oil." he said, spitting and cleaning up his tunnel."We've got to get Kagome out of there. She won't make it much longer. Where is Inuyasha?"

"You must attack this demon from inside!" Myoga popped out of Kirara's mane.

"Oh, that's where you were hiding. So nice of you to join us." Sango scolded him.

"Kagomeee!"

Out of the tree cluster, a fierce Inuyasha appeared, his Tetsusaiga armed.

"Inuyasha, don't!" Sango yelled. "That thing swallowed up Kagome. She's inside. We need to get her out of there!"

"Master Inuyasha!" Myoga shouted. "The single way to destroy that demon is to get inside it and remove the jewel shard which animates it. Then strike into the ground."

"I'll let it swallow me, then!"

Inuyasha stayed still while the demon approached. Instead of swallowing him, it reached what looked like a sticky arm and hit him with a swing, so hard that it sent him flying through the air.

"Myogaaa?!" Inuyasha growled, after getting up.

"I'm sorry, my lord! He will only swallow you if you give into your dark desire."

"But, for him, that means turning full demon. I'm pretty sure youkai Inuyasha wouldn't let himself be swallowed up. And even if he did, do we want him inside there with Kagome?" Sango asked.

"How come that thing swallowed Kagome, anyway? What dark desires does she have?" Miroku wondered.

"In Kagome's case, it was probably her jewel shards that the demon wanted to get." Myoga explained.

Sango frowned, with a hunch.

"Quit the yappin'! Kagome's running out of time. I'll bloody do it!" Inuyasha decided. "I'll become full demon if it's the only way. I'll control it somehow."

"Wait! I have a better idea." Miroku said. "Sango, put me on the ground."

As soon as he was on the ground, he uncovered his palm:

"Wind Tunnel!" and the oil flew towards Miroku.

Kagome appeared again, choking, desperate for air.

"Inuyasha, quickly, get inside, before it rebuilds itself!" Sango shouted, understanding Miroku's plan.

Inuyasha practicly flew towards Kagome, wrapping his arms around her, his sword in one hand. Right before they were swallowed up, he said to her:

"Don't worry, Kagome. I'll get you out. Just take a deep breath. Now!" and they disappeared inside the demon.

***

Everything was dark around them.

~Inuyasha, I'm scared!~

The thick oil held them together, making it very hard, if not impossible, for them to move.

~Don't be. We'll get out of here."~

They could hear eachother's thoughts, which traveled between their minds at the speed of lightning.

~I've lost all hope. It's like I don't even want to get out.~

~Don't say that! You're stronger than that! Focus: this demon has a jewel shard of its own. Tell me where it is.~

The oil tightened harder and harder around them. It got into their ears, their cloths, everywhere. Kagome couldn't hold her breath much longer.

~I can't open my eyes.~

~Find it with your mind. I know you can!~

~Inuyasha... I don't want to lose you. I couldn't live without you!~

~What are you saying, silly? I'm here, ain't I? Can you feel me holding you?~

~Yes! I only wish you could hold me like this forever.~

~Nothing is forever. But I am here right now. And I'm not going anywhere without you. Now, please, tell me where the source of it is, or we'll really stay like this forever, only dead! Damn it, Kagome: I followed you inside a walking piece of goo: I've got oil up my butt! Would you have faith in me? I need you to have faith!~

She had faith in him. Into the pit black darkness, Kagome saw with her mind's eye the strong gleem of her jewel shards, which she still held tightly into her fist. They hadn't been contaminated. She did have faith! She searched and saw another gleem, darker, above their heads.

~It's exactly above our heads.~

~You'll have to reach and take it.~

~But I can't move!~

~I'll help you.~

Inuyasha struggled with all his might. He took Kagome's hand and directed it slowly, through the viscous liquid, towards the shard. As soon as her fingers touched it, the shard was purified. Inuyasha closed her fist over it. The demon wabbled from side to side.

~Inu...yasha... it's... crushing me... and I need... air...~

~Stay with me! It's the end for this sucker!~

He pointed the Testusaiga towards the ground.

~Kagome, whatever happens, don't let go! Wind Scar!~

***

It was close to a minute now since Inuyasha and Kagome had been swallowed up. All this time, the demon threw balls of oil after Sango and Miroku, who were hovering over, on Kirara. They hoped for the best. Much to their joy, they saw the familiar gleem of the sacred jewel demon stopped and released a terrible sound, bending and writhing. Then there was a great light and an air twister, which looked like Inuyasha's Wind Scar. It threw him and Kagome out of the deadly trap, making a great hole in the ground and scattering pieces of the demon everywhere. Inuyasha landed safely on the ground, with the girl in his arms. They were all covered up in oil, spitted, coughed and drew air into their lungs.

"Are you two o'right?" Sango approched them.

"Well, that takes care of one nasty bastard!" Inuyasha said triumphant, cleaning up his ears.

He grinned: two sets of pearly whites on a black face. Miroku smiled: the picture was almost the same. Kagome laughed but she wasn't exactly a fruit basket either.

"You three have to get cleaned up!" Sango concluded .

"I know just the place." Inuyasha said.

"You do now, do you?" Kagome pulled on one of his ears.

"Come on! You're not starting the shame thing again! I thought we went passed that when we swam naked."

"You what?!" Sango was surprised.

"Inuyasha, would you shut up?!"

"A-ha! I knew it!" Miroku cried out. "It is the mating season for dogs!"

"The what season?!" Inuyasha and Kagome shouted at the same time, jumping to their feet.

"It is true!" Myoga stepped in. "In autumn, as the moon increases..."

"Uhh, I don't wanna know!" Kagome interrupted him. "I don't believe it, Inuyasha! You took me to the dog eye lake to... mate?!"

"You're not gonna put stock into Miroku's and some blood-drunken flea's tales, are 'ya?"

"They're not tales, master Inu..."

Squish! went Myoga in Inuyasha's claws.

"I knew it! You're just a pervert, like Miroku!"

"Hey now..." Miroku objected.

"Yeah?! Well, you're just a prude! What do you think you are? A saint? Like butter wouldn't melt in your mouth? Well, let me tell you something: you smell like you´re in heat. I can sense it from a mile away. Maybe you do need a good "mating" to put your feet on the ground. And then some to make you see the end of your nose."

"Say whaaat?!"

Kick! Yelp! Inuyasha crouching on the ground. Kagome walked away, stuck-up, and commenting:

"You "mate" now, if you still can! Come on, Sango, let´s go wash. Good thing I brought shampoo and a change of cloths."

"If you ask me, Inuyasha," Miroku mused aloud "you're waaay better off with the subjugation beads around your neck. I mean, ouch!"

"Tell... me... about it..." Inuyasha took pain to speak, hugging his privates, once again.


	4. Chapter 4: Closure

**Chapter Four: Closure (or Exorcist Inuyasha and Across-the-Time Inome)**

"What did you say your name was?"

The small boy with pointy ears, no older than nine or maybe ten, answered respectfully:

"It is Inome, lady Kaede."

The old priestess couldn't help wondering why she felt like there was something very familiar about that little hanyo in front of her.

"And you're a half demon?"

The boy turned his eyes of glowing amber towards Shippo.

"Actually, I'm about one third demon, My grandfather was a full demon, but my grandmother and parents were cross-breads and humans. You are a full demon, isn't it, great Shippo?"

"How... how did you know my name?" The small kitsune stuttered. "And what's with the "great" part?"

"Where I come from, everyone knows about the brave fox-demon called Shippo, friend to Inuyasha and part of his group."

"Reeealy?"

"And where do you exactly come from?" lady Kaede asked.

Inome looked down, carefully choosing his words, like a child quietly repeating a poem. He spoke:

"i come from a distant, yet not too far away place, that you can reach only if Nature allows you."

~This is a riddle, or a coded message of some kind.~ Kaede realised. The child surely was wise beyond his age. She looked with her third eye: the time continuum was disrupted around him. He seemed from another world... just like Kagome.

"You are talking about a different time, aren't you?"

The little boy tightened his lips and frowned, reluctant to say more. Around his neck he wore a small bag, while in his hand he held some kind of macabre staff. Lady Kaede startled: ~It's the legendary Staff of Two Heads. I thought Jaken, Sesshomaru's henchman, was in possession of it.~

"Where are Inuyasha and Kagome?" Inome asked. "I have a very important message for them."

"They are away on a quest, my child. I honestly don't know when they are coming back."

"They should be back right about now."

As soon as he had finished his words they could hear Sango's two-tailed cat landing. Miroku and Sango entered the house. Their cloths, especially the monks, were stained by a black, greasyn substance.

"What happened?" Shippo asked.

"Ah, some oil demon!" Miroku answered, then his eyes met Inome's. The same as lady Kaede, he got a strange feeling that he knew those eyes all too well.

"Hello, there!" Sango greeted their guest.

The boy stood up. His short, wavy black hair had a familiar bluish shade. Another striking detail was his miko outfit: it was made of red fire-rat cloth. He looked at the monk and the demon slayer with a warm smile, as if he knew them. At the same time, he seemed surprised.

"You're just a couple of kids!" he exclaimed.

"Excuse me?!"

"I mean, for the great warriors you are renowned to be, you are very young."

"I'm sorry... who are you?" Miroku stepped in.

The boy looked behind them, as if expecting someone else.

"Where are Inuyasha and Kagome?"

"who are you?" Miroku insisted.

"This boy is called Inome. He says he has an important message for our friends." lady Kaede explained. "How come they didn't return with you?"

Miroku scratched his head.

"They told us to go on, about a mile ago. Said that they wanted to be alone and that they'll catch up later. What's the message?"

With a frown, the child swished out of the house.

"Whatta strange kid! I could swear he looks like Inuyasha. He has his eyes and face mimic."

"But he has Kagome's hair and sweetness." Sango added.

"And Sesshomaru's ears." Shippo concluded, while the others nodded in approvement.

***

The beautiful country side offered a spectacular view. But neither Kagome, nor Inuyasha were interested in it. They walked slowly side by side. Kagome was staring blankly. Inuyasha threw her a sneaky look: she seemed sad and confuse and about to make the biggest mistake of her life. He reached out and took her by the hand. Kagome squeezed his hand hard, desperately. The shards glowed gloomily at her neck and Inuyasha felt dizzy. He tore his hand away from hers. Kagome stopped. She dropped down on her knees. Tears flooded her cheeks.

"I'm turning you into a Yokai, because of how I feel for you. Because I have the sacred jewel shards and I am not allowed to have negative feelings. Not even your Tetsusaiga can counter the jewel. You should get away from me, as far as possible."

Inuyasha made a strong effort to come to his senses. He breathed deeply. It calmed him down.

"I don't care!" he said, in hoarse voice; the signs of the yokai slashed his cheeks, but were slowly disappearing. "I'm not giving up on you. You never gave up on me. You never gave up on anything!"

He kneeled down before her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"So, I won't let you start now."

"Don't touch me! You have no idea what I did!" she yelled, struggling to break free. "That oil demon got to the shards, because I threw them away. I'll give them to Kaede. Right now, they're probably safer with her."

She tried to get up, but Inuyasha wouldn't let her.

"Let me go!"

"No! You're not yourself!"

She sank her teeth in one of his hands; blood came out.

"Is that all you've got?" You can scratch, bite or kick me from here all the way to China. I'm still not letting you go!"

Kagome felt teh blood in her mouth and looked horror stricken at Inuyasha. He pulled her in his arms. Kagome broke out crying. He held her tight and let her cry for a while, then spoke:

"It's ok! You'll get through this. WE'll get through this together! But you have to talk to me. Tell me what's going on. What's causing this darkness inside you?"

Kagome looked at him, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"Inuyasha! I'm so scared! I'm afraid I'll lose. I'm afraid you'll die. I've been having these terrible nightmares. I find you dead, then I'm at your funeral. And I'm so alone, although the others are trying to comfort me..."

Inuyasha took her face lovingly into his palms.

"They're just dreams!"

He wiped her tears with his thumbs.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily! Don't you know that demons, like bad habits, die hard?"

A smile lit Kagome's face.

"Gramps often tells me this saying."

Inuyasha smiled back at her.

"There you go, see? Don't be afraid! Fear is a mind killer."

"I wish I were as brave as you." Kagome sobbed, looking down. "What I actually fear is that if I come closer to you, the way it happened at the lake, I will suffer even more, if I lose you."

Inuyasha raised her face once again.

"Suffering and loss are a part of life: I've been no stranger to both of them, since I was a kid. What I discovered is that you mustn't fear them, because you miss out on what's best in life. The way to get rid of them, is to dash through them, leave them behind. And you're wrong: the Kagome I know is one of the bravest people alive. And she told me the other night I should never doubt her love. Well, I'm telling her right now, she should never doubt mine, either!"

~That's gotta be the closest thing to an "I love you" I ever got from him.~ she thought, very touched. ~And when did he get so wise? Is he finally starting to grow up?~ She wiped her tears.

"Funny you should bring me back to my senses, for a change. Thanks!" and she kissed him on his nose, making him blush.

He helped her up.

"Maybe I'm half demon myself." Kagome mused aloud.

"No!" Inuyasha said firmly. ~There is something inside her. I felt it clearly before: like a black spot spreading negativity. It must have also caused her nightmares.~

"Listen..." he took her hands. "You're strong. And together we're even stronger! I need you to trust me like you did inside that oil demon."

"It was pretty cool how we could hear eachother's thoughts." Kagome said. "That's some bond!"

"We'll try it again. Close your eyes."

Kagome became suspicious.

"What do you have in mind?"

"Trust me! And have no fear."

She closed her eyes. She could feel him wrapping his arms around her, in a warm, protective embrace. One thought crossed her mind at the speed of lightning: it was Inuyasha's.

~Can you look inside yourself, the way you looked inside that demon?~

~Look for what?~

~Anything that is not yours. Something like a black spot.~

Kagome immediately realised what Inuyasha meant: the pain she felt in her chest, whenever she was not herself. She searched inside her heart with her mind's eye and there it was: a sponge-like being, fretting, now exposed. Like a flash, Kagome remembered how that piece of the demon struck her in her chest, how she couldn't find it, how the y couldn't find any shards either. It must have gotten inside her. The shard was inside her, contaminated, infecting her heart, her feelings. She felt ashamed and angry that she hadn't spotted it. Inuyasha sensed that.

~Don't beat yourself up. It's harder to see these things in yourself.~

~What the hell is that?~

~Don't panic! Stay with me!~

~I'm afraid.~

~It's not you who's afraid. That thing tricks you into believing whatever it gives off: fear, jealousy, hate...~

Kagome reached inside with her mind, eager to get rid of the unwanted guest and grabbed the dark sponge. A powerful ache, like a knife to her heart, weakened her. But then she felt the warm, soft sensation on her lips, his breath on her face and a taste similar to sweet-basil... Inuyasha's scent... he was kissing her. He was also reaching inside her with his mind. The mental projection of his hand closed over hers.

~You're holding my heart.~ Kagome thought.

~Haven't you always been holding mine?~ he answered.

Warmth filled her heart. The Shikon jewel fragments glowed like a super-nova, spreading vibrant sparks inside her. Something screamed and that scream climbed up Kagome's throat. She broke away from Inuyasha and let that scream out, towards the sky. Together with it, out came a small red piece of flesh. Kagome collapsed, coughing.

"Grab that!" a child's voice resounded.

Inuyasha could see the strangest thing: a little boy with demon pointy ears, wearing a fire-rat kimono and holding the Staff of Two Heads, dashing towards them. With a small explosion, the piece of flesh disappeared in the air.

"Oh, man!" the boy went; he sat down, frowning and puckering up his lips disapprovingly.

"Who... uh... who are you?" Inuyasha asked, with the weird sensation he was looking into his own frowning eyes.

Kagome felt a weird sensation inside her womb and breasts, like a pressure. Suddenly, she felt nauseous. She moaned.

"Kagome, are you ok?" Inuyasha inquired. "You're all pale."

"I think I'm gonna be sick..." and she barely had the time to turn around, so she could throw up.

"Damn it! What did you eat?"

"It's not her fault," the boy spoke "but mine, or rather my being here. I'll make this quick: my name is Inome and I come from another time. I am a male miko and also one third demon. That piece of flesh Kagome just got out of her contains a shard from a Dark Jewel, Naraku has made for himself. It has not completed its evil task yet. Naraku has just sent it into another dimension to harm another version of you, Inuyasha."

"Whoa! Time out!" Inuyasha burst. "You mean Naraku's behind all this? Where is he? What do you mean he has made himself a Dark Jewel? And how do you know this and we don't? Do you expect us to trust you?"

Inome looked him in the eye and smiled. Inuyasha blushed. ~What is this feeling I get when I look at this boy? Who is he?~

"I expect her to trust me!" and the kid pointed towards Kagome.

And he was right: something inside her, told the girl they could trust him. She still had the feeling of pressure in her womb.

"Inuyasha, this may sound strange, but I simply know we can trust him. Tell us what to do, Inome, but after all this is over with you've got some serious explaining to do!"

"I knew I would have no problem getting to you." and Inome smiled to her, like a baby to his mommy; it was Kagome's turn to blush now.

Inome began chanting faintly, his eyes closed. Then he raised the Staff and the head of the old man laughed. A dimensional portal was opened.

"The piece of flesh will search for the rest of its body, which of course is the version of the dragon from that dimension. Find it and slay it." Inome said.

"Come on, Inuyasha!" Kagome pulled on his arm.

"Wait, Kagome!" the kid cried. "You can't go and neither can I: we don't exist in that dimension and it would be too difficult for me to sustain us there. You, on the other hand, do exist Inuyasha. Ask for the help of your alternate version. Hurry up! I can't hold the portal open for much longer. I'll reopen it for you, when you're done. I'll know it! Oh, and you should know there is a time lag of about 50 years, where you're going."

Inuyasha went through the portal and Inome closed it behind him. Sango and Miroku arrived.

"Where did you sent my master?" Myoga popped out.

"Myogaa!" Inome exclaimed happily.

"You…" Sango began and continued in her mind: ~You have Kagome's smile!~

The kid sat down and said:

"I'll tell you a little story. We'll have time till dad sorts things out."

"DAD!!?!"

***

As soon as his feet touched the ground again, Inuyasha was attacked from behind. He threw his opponent over his shoulder, but he dashed with great velocity back towards him.

"Iron River Soul Stealer!" Inuyasha shouted… and there was an echo to his words, like a second voice using the same battle cry.

That stopped him and his opponent, and Inuyasha found himself face to face with…

"What the heck?" the two exclaimed at the same time, looking into eachother's identical wide, bright, yellow eyes.

"Are you me?" he asked his mirror image.

"I am Inuyasha! What happened to your voice?" the one in front of him asked, in obviously shriller voice.

"What happened to yours?"

Inuyasha began to notice the differences between them: the other Inuyasha was shorter, though not by much. He had longer eyelashes, fairer skin, fuller lips… and there were also the feminine lumps on his chest and the beautiful waist curve that the tighter cut of the kimono revealed. It took both of them about a couple of seconds to realize the obvious.

"You're a girl?"

"You're a guy?" they went, at the same time.

"Of course I'm a guy!"

"Of course I'm a girl!"

"That's so lame!"

"That's the lamest thing!"

"What's going on?" a woman's voice asked.

Inuyasha turned around to have another surprise.

"Kikyo? Is that really you? You're alive?"

"Who are you?" Kikyo lowered her bow, which till then had been pointing an arrow towards Inuyasha. "You came through a dimensional portal. Are you some alternate version of Inuyasha?"

"No! He… I mean she is the alternate version. I'm the real thing." he boasted.

"Pf! I can't believe it: in another dimension I'm a sexist pig!" girl-Inuyasha insulted him back. "You sure you're not half-boar?"

"You should talk: you're a half-bitch."

"Look who's talking! You look exactly like a girl with very thick eyebrows."

"Don't make me show you something else I've got that's definitely manly."

"Go ahead! I bet it's the size of a peanut."

"Your breasts are the size of peanuts!"

"Listen pall: "yasha" means female demon…"

"It does not!"

"Does too!"

Kikyo laughed out loud.

"Well, you sure are both Inuyasha."

They both blushed, especially our hero who had missed hearing Kikyo laughing like that. She was so beautiful, full of life, full of love.

"Why have you come here?" she asked him.

"I'm looking for a shard from a Dark Jewel, that's been sent here by Naraku."

"A few minutes ago there was a disruption in the energy field. I've sensed an evil aura. That's why we came here. It must have been the shard you're looking for."

"A shard of a… Dark Shikon no Tama?" girl-Inuyasha wondered. "And who is Naraku?"

Inuyasha stared amazed and said:

"Boy, you've got it good here! Unfortunately, not all of us are so lucky."

***

"I know part of this story from my mother, from the future you, Kagome. Five years from now, there will be a great battle between Naraku and his minions and Inuyasha's group. Sesshomaru will also join Inuyasha. Kagura will be the one to betray Naraku and this will be of great help."

***

"Well, see ya… or better not!" and Inuyasha ran towards the village.

Kikyo and girl-Inuyasha watched him distancing himself.

"We should help him, little sis'!"

"Why should we? He didn't even ask for our help. That's so typical male!"

"You're no better yourself!" Kikyo chuckled.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Hop on!"

As he was running swiftly, Inuyasha was tormented by thoughts.

~The cruelty of fate: that she should be alive here where I can't be with her. Yet, it's the answer to the problem: by being a girl, there could never be romance between us. Kikyo would be free of temptation. The Sacred Jewel is safe. Naraku is never created, I don't get pinned to the tree. Kikyo doesn't die. I wonder… if I stayed here… What's stopping me from remaining here?~

The warmth of Kagome's smile and embrace filled his heart like an answer. ~What am I thinking about? Life went on for me one year ago. It took me so much to realize it. Then again, if Kikyo doesn't die, Kagome is never born. Out here, she doesn't exist. The cruelty of fate…~

Deep in thought, he could hear a powerful lashing sound, but it was too late for him to dodge the head attack of the Chinese dragon, they had thought almost one month ago. It hit him fully with an incredible strength and carried him through the air in its horn. The pain in his stomach was too acute to allow him to move, or even breath.

"Wind scar!" girl-Inuyasha cryed out and a great light twister hit the dragon's body.

It dropped Inuyasha from a great height. His feminine e counterpart soared and caught him.

"Not bad for a half-bitch, huh?" she boasted as she lay him on the ground. "Dude, you're hurt badly!"

"It's… nothing…" Inuyasha could hardly utter through his teeth.

But blood poured heavily from his wound, as the horn had gotten through the folds of his kimono, piercing through his stomach.

"Hey, big sis', help him!" girl-Inuyasha called for Kikyo and then engaged in a battle with the dragon, driving it away from the wounded.

***

"In a weird twist, Naraku will get Kagome's shards, while Kagome will get Naraku's nearly restored jewel. Victory will be ours. Naraku is almost destroyed, but manages to retreat with the few shards. For almost ten years, there is a relative peace in the Feudal Era. But what we didn't know was that Naraku, aside from rebuilding up his strength, was also fashioning himself a Dark Jewel, with the help of the shards from the original Shikon no Tama."

***

"Where were you hurt? Kikyo asked him. "Here?" and she reached towards his stomach.

Inuyasha cought her hand half the way and growled. Kikyo smiled. He had missed that smile so much, it broke his heart seeing it again.

"I can… heal myself…" he said.

Kikyo was amused.

"You're just as bad as my Inuyasha. You'll have to trust me. Hold still and let me do my job!"

Inuyasha agreed and let her hand touch his wound. She began praying in a low voice. There was a purple light at her neck: hidden by her kimono there was the Shikon no Tama. Inuyasha could feel the light riding through Kikyo's hand, like a subtle current. It came through her palm and burned his wound in a million places, like numberless needles sowing the flesh together.

"Take your mind off it, or you'll slow down the process." Kikyo advised him. "Tell me something: in your worl… I died, isn't it?"

Inuyasha looked away and nodded.

"But you are reincarnated." he added.

"I see. And… were we ever…?"

She blushed. He blushed even harder, when he realized what she was hinting at.

"Hey!" girl-Inuyasha shouted. "I'm busting my ass here! Get pretty boy fixed and send his butt into battle!"

"Done!" Kikyo said then grabbed her bow and ran in help of her friend, who was in a fierce clenching with the dragon.

Inuyasha was surprised to see a wound that would have normally taken him at least three days to heal, closed up like it hadn't even been there. He jumped to his feet, as good as new. The jewel had energized him.

"Wind scar!" girl-Inuyasha shouted, while Kikyo fired a sacred arrow.

The energy attack united with the arrow, but unfortunately it hit only the dragon's tail, because it was lashing violently and continuously in the air.

"I'll show you how to get rid of this bastard!" Inuyasha said. "But you'll have to help me. Kikyo I need you to… hold me."

"What?" both Kikyo and girl-Inuyasha went.

"I need the strength of the Shikon Jewel to flow through me in its pure form. That's why Kikyo has to keep it in her reach."

"Because she can purify it." girl-Inuyasha realised, while Kikyo braced him from behind.

"No fear!" Inuyasha said.

"I know I can trust you." she answered.

Inuyasha focused. The Tetsusaiga turned diamond. The dragon descended upon them. It opened up its mouth, breathing fire.

"Adamant Barrage!"

The tremendous energy of the whole Sacred Jewel went through Inuyasha and his blade in a mega-attack. The dragon's body was simply pulverized. All that was left from it were ashes and its head, in a very bad shape.

***

"In this time period, I am born, then my sister Kagosha, five years after me. She's quite a handful: she's the one that really resembles father, has his ears, temper, strength, his ability to manipulate energy… everything. Then there's also our cousin, Kaze, Sesshomaru and Kagura's daughter. It's needless to say she's got her share of powers, as well."

On my ninth anniversary, uncle Sesshomaru gave me the Staff of Two Heads, as a present. He had noticed I have the power to travel both through time and dimensions and said the Staff will help me increase this power, if I learn how to use it."

***

"How did you do that?" girl-Inuyasha exclaimed. "How did you use the Tetsusaiga like that?"

"Sorry, "sis'"! But you'll have to figure it out by yourself. Kikyo, tell me where the shard is; do you see any glowing spot inside the head?"

Kikyo was about to approach the head, when Inuyasha remembered.

"No! Wait!" but the dragon had already spitted the poisoned shard towards the priestess.

Luckily, girl-Inuyasha was on top of things. She deflected the projectile with her blade, destroying the flesh surrounding the shard, which fell on the grass. Kikyo picked it up, but its colour remained a dirty shade of purple, as if the priestess wasn't able to purify it. ~So this is the Dark Jewel.~ Inuyasha thought.

To their surprise, a deep, seducingly evil voice came from the dragon's head:

"I didn't think we'd meet here, young Inuyasha."

"Naraku!" Inuyasha growled, tightening his fists around the sword.

Out of the dust that once had been the dragon, a vision was formed: that of the demon that had caused so much pain to a lot of beings. Both Kikyo and girl-Inuyasha startled.

"This is… you are…" Kikyo began, but couldn't finish the sentence, because the knot in her throat prevented her.

"You don't exist here!" Inuyasha barked.

"Wrong!" Naraku's vision chuckled. "I just haven't awaken, yet!" and he threw Kikyo a dirty look while she frowned. "Those offspring of yours don't know quite everything! But I see they've managed to send you here."

"What are you babbling about? What offspring?"

"Hm, you're kind of slow. You should know I am not the Naraku you know but an improved version from the future…"

"I don't care where you're from!" Inuyasha interrupted him. "You tried to get me to hurt Kagome."

"It was your mongrel freaks that started everything: they stole my shards. I didn't need them anymore, since I now possess my own Jewel, but it was still an impudent thing to do. You're all off the hook this time. But, be warned, this isn't over! I won't rest until I see that you never continue your blood line."

~My blood line? Offspring? I have no…~ Inome's face passed before Inuyasha's eyes in an instant. ~Inome?! Is he… my son… with Kagome? Wait! Did he say "those offspring" as in more then one?!~

***

"The trouble started when Kagosha and Kaze wanted to play with it and I wouldn't let them, so we fought over it. The Jewel was in the same room with us. Because we all have the same blood line, the Shikon no Tama somehow combined our powers, when we simultaneously touched the Staff. Suffice it to say that we found ourselves with the shards that Naraku had and so we were able to complete the Jewel after so many years. I guess it made Naraku very angry."

***

"I'll have that, if you don't mind!"

And a powerful gust of wind yanked the tainted shard out of Kikyo's hand and sent it towards Naraku. Then his vision dissipated like mist, along with the shard.

"Wait!" Kikyo called. "Are you lord Onigumo?"

But the vision had already vanished entirely, leaving Kikyo a bitter taste in her mouth.

"Kikyo, do you really think that this Naraku character is lord Onigumo?" girl-Inuyasha asked her friend, with obvious concern in her voice.

"So, there is an Onigumo here, too!" Inuyasha mused, discontented.

The dimensional portal suddenly opened.

"I have to go, now! Listen, Inu-chick, never lose sight of that Onigumo you have here, never turn your back to him. Protect Kikyo and the Jewel at all cost, keep them away from him! I would advise you to go kill the bastard right away, but I'm sure he has already hidden himself. But be on the look out!"

"I hear you, bro'! I never liked that guy!" girl-Inuyasha answered.

"Kiyko…" he took her hand into his. "Neither I nor she would never betray would! No matter what happens, remember that!"

Kikyo nodded. They looked into eachother's eyes and their cheeks turned fire red. In the strong wind of the dimensional current, Inuyasha kissed Kikyo. Her scent filled his nostrils: she was warm and alive. He held her tight. ~I'm ready to let you go now…~ he thought.

"Goodbye, Kikyo!" he whispered and jumped into the dimensional vortex, leaving Kikyo day dreaming, with sparkling, sad eyes.

"What was that all about?" girl-Inuyasha examined her friend's blushed face. "I sure felt weird. Now don't be expecting me to start acting like a guy!"

Kikyo giggled.

"Don't worry! It's not like that. It's just that all dimensions are connected. He needed that kiss! It closed up a wound he had from that other Kikyo. As for me, you don't know how grateful I am that I live in a world where you're a woman."

***

"You're back!"

Kagome was happy to see Inuyasha that he rushed towards him. Instead of a hug, she received a growl.

"Where's the little brat?" and he searched for Inome.

"Oh, no!" the kid hid behind Kagome.

Inuyasha growled again and was about to catch him, when Kagome stepped up, menacingly.

"Don't you lay one finger on him! He explained everything: it was all an accident. But don't be mad at him: he actually did a good job. When he stole the shards from Naraku, he completed the Jewel…"

"Which you shattered, in the first place. He's a cluts, just like you! No wonder he's your son." Inuyasha mumbled.

"He's your son, too!" Kagome pointed out and immediately blushed at the thought.

Sango and Miroku snickered. Inuyasha was embarrassed, too, but did his best not to show it.

"Well, well, who would have thought?" Miroku teased him. "In the future, you're quite the family guy, Inuyasha."

"It seems we also have a mischievous little girl and a niece." Kagome explained. "They're partly to blame for this mess. It was the future you who sent Inome, the oldest of the kids, to sort things out, as a lesson in responsibility."

Miroku and Sango were on their bellies with laughter at the idea of Inuyasha being a father and an uncle and giving lessons in responsibility. Inuyasha couldn't even speak with embarrassment. Inome came to his rescue.

"I don't see why you two are laughing. You have six kids, you know?"

The monk and the demon slayer suddenly had the longest faces.

"Just kidding!" Inome smiled.

Sango and Miroku sighed, relieved.

"You only have four…"

"Huuh?!"

"Well, time for me to go." Inome announced. "I'm so glad it all ended up well. You know, I'm pretty impressed that you stuck together through all this and got the shard out by yourselves. That's the mom and dad I know and love!"

"Oh, you're so cute!" Kagome said. "I could kiss you… if I didn't feel the urge to throw up, just by looking at you…"

"It must have something to do with the fact that you will one day be pregnant with him." Sango presumed.

"Pregnant?!" Kagome's eye twitched, while Inuyasha pretended to look for something inside the sleeves of his haori, but his face was redder than it.

Their friends chuckled once again.

"Inuyasha… I mean… dad, would you please see me to the Bone Eater's Well?" Inome asked him.

"That's where you came through?"

"Like you said: I am my mother's son. With the difference that I can go wherever… or better said whenever I want."

He turned towards the rest of the gang.

"I'll go now. See ya'… in time."

And he took a white powder from his bag and threw it over Kagome, Sango, Miroku, even Kirara. They al sneezed from it.

"Let's go quickly!" Inome urged Inuyasha. "They won't remember a thing about me."

Carrying his son on his back, Inuyasha felt strangely peaceful. Knowing that, in the future, he will not only still have Kagome by his side, but also two precious gifts from her, gave him comfort. Inome began speaking; his warm, childish voice, had Kagome's modulations.

"There is something I need to tell you, dad. No matter how hard it will be for you, you must make peace with your step brother and convince him to fight Naraku along your side. You must have noticed my ears. The reason I took after Sesshomaru is because, while still in my mother's womb, he resurrected me with the Tenseiga."

"Resurrected you?! You mean…"

"Try not to freak out, but in the great battle you will have with Naraku, five years from now, mom… Kagome will be killed. She will be pregnant with me at that time, so, I too, will perish. Unless your brother is there beside you, there will be no one able to bring us back."

"Isn't there a way to stop this?"

"Unfortunately, it is inevitable, because both Kagome and I have to go through this experience. What you can change is to patch things up with Sesshomaru. Leave your pride aside, humiliate yourself, if you have to. It's the price the future asks from you, in exchange for Kagome. And I'm sure you must know by now that her pure heart is your salvation."

Inuyasha didn't understand very well everything Inome told him, but of one thing he was certain: without Kagome by his side, he was doomed to roam in total darkness."

They arrived at the well.

"Promise me you will do as I have asked you!"

"I promise I'll protect Kagome, kid. Whatever that implies."

Inome put on his beautiful, heart-melting smile.

"That's good enough for me."

He stepped on the rim of the well and was about to reach into his bag, when Inuyasha cought him by his kimono and growled in his face:

"You's not pulling that trick on me, young man! I wonder if I won't be going soft in the future. Or else, how could I have raised such a disrespectful little squirt, who doesn't know his place?!"

"Please! Dad will kill me if I let you remember everything."

"Well, I'm your dad and I'll kill you know if you try to erase my memory. Good riddance, sonny!" and he threw Inome down the well.

"I'm telling moooom!" the kid's voice echoed in the well.

In the meantime:

"What happened?" Kagome asked.

"I have no idea." Sango answered.

"I feel like I have just awaken from a dream." Miroku added, holdin his head.

"Where's Inuyasha?" Kagome searched around for him.

At Kaede's hut.

"And you're sure you don't want Kagome to know about this?" the old priestess asked Inuyasha.

"I'm sure. It's enough of a burden for me… yet, at the same time, It's reassuring. I know something terrible about the future, something which I cannot change. Luckily, I also know something so beautiful: if I save her, she will give me the most precious gift there is. I promise I will do everything I can to save Kagome and our son, even if it means stepping on my goddamn Hanyo pride."

Kaede was impressed by the amount of feeling under Inuyasha's tough appearance.

"I told you all this Kaede, because I will need an ally on this path. I'm counting on you to remind me of my promise, should my pride get the best of me."

All of a sudden, Kagome came running inside the house and threw herself directly into Inuyasha's arms. He was happy to feel her old self again: no trace of the darkness that had so tormented them.

***

"Inuchan…"

Up on his tree, Inuyasha was looking at the full moon dawn, still thinking about everything, when Kagome called him. He reached one hand and pulled her up on the branch, next to him.

"What's on your mind?" she asked. "I'm so happy I got that dark shard out of me, that I can't stand seeing you so pensive."

"Kagome…"

"Yeah?"

"I wanted to tell you that I have made up my mind."

"About what? Um…"

Inuyasha was looking at her so lovingly that Kagome felt she was melting. The moon cast mysterious shadows on him, while his eyes glowed golden in the dusky light.

"I have made up my mind about who I want to be with."

Kagome felt her face burning up and her heart ready to break through her chest. She didn't know what to say. This time he wasn't talking about Kikyo, but herself. She couldn't help but wonder why the change, but she knew Inuyasha wasn't the type to talk about his feelings too much.

"Inuyasha… I don hope it's not the "mating season" talking through you, right now."

"And what if it were?" he became cheeky out of offence. "You're not afraid I'd eat you up, are ya'?"

~Oh, boy! So much for high expectations!~ Kagome thought.

"I think I'm gonna go turn in. It's obvious this moon has gotten to your head." And she climbed down the tree.

"You see? This is why I don't talk to you about what I feel. The moment I really open up, you freak out."

"That's not opening up, that's your testosterone acting up." she sighed: "As if Miroku wasn't enough of a lecher in our group…"

"You're calling me a lecher? Get back here and say to my face!"

"You're such a kid!"

Inuyasha snarled and crossed his arms over his chest. Kagome looked sadly behind, while she was distancing herself from the tree.

"I don't think you are being fair to him, Kagome." Miroku suddenly appeared from behind a bush.

"You were spying on us?"

"I overheard. I'm usually lecturing Inuyasha about how he should treat you, but this time, it's you who's being weird. In my opinion, as a true, certified lecher, he was being honest. So I must ask you this: you're not afraid of Inuyasha, are you? You know, of him being a man?"

"It's not like that at all!" Kagome snubbed him, annoyed that he would ask her such a thing… and be partly right, too.

"The truth is that it's kind of scary to be getting so close to him, after all this time we've been just friends... all this time that I've been forcing myself to be just friends with him, when in fact I… Pf! I mean, what does he expect me to do? Simply fall into his arms? What if he changes his mind again? Where will that leave me?"

On hearing that tirade of arguments, Miroku just smiled.

"Listen, why don't I keep guard this night? Inuyasha sure looks like he could use a rest."

Kagome blushed and smiled in her turn.

"Thanks, MIroku!"

Inuyasha was feeling a little sad, when he heard Kagome's voice again.

"I'm sorry I called you a lecher!"

"Neah… I'm sorry! I understand if you don't trust me. After all, I've been chasing wild geese all this time, when I had you right beside me. Serves me right!"

"Inuyasha…"

~Miroku was right: he is honest!~

"I was wondering…" Kagome began. "Miroku said he will keep guard tonight. Said that you looked like you could use a good night sleep. So, I was wondering… would you like to come and sleep in the house?"

Inuyasha jumped down from the tree and looked at Kagome closely.

"That took you a lot of guts to say."

"Don't flatter yourself. And don't you think of getting crazy!"

"Hey! I'm a gentleman!"

"Sure you are!"

**The End**


	5. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Kagome woke up. Her heart was pounding and she was all sweaty. She had just had a naughty dream. It had been so intense. Images from it still passed before her eyes, sensations still lingered: her naked skin touching his, their lips sealed in a never-ending kiss, their hearts beating as one… she had his scent in her nostrils, his taste in her mouth; she felt subdued by his masculine energy, while he was under her feminine spell; his skin was thrilling under her fingers; he bit her gently by one ear and whispered: "Dearest…" The simple memory of it sent shivers throughout her body. She cuddled closer to…

~Inuyasha?~

He was holding her in his arms from behind. She remembered combing his long silver hair and then stroking it, while he rested his head in her lap, until he had fallen asleep. He was so tired. They both were. Kagome couldn't believe they had slept like two spoons in a drawer all night. What a wonderful feeling it was! He was snoring softly, more like the purring of a cat. The girl laughed quietly. She cuddled to him again. He moaned and moved a little.

"What is it?" he mumbled all sleepy.

"Nothing. Everything is perfect." Kagome whispered.

"M-hm…" and he was about to fall asleep again, when Kagome realised something.

"Inuyasha?"

"Hm…"

"Did you sleep with the Tetsusaiga on your waist? You're poking me with the hilt."

"What are ya talking about?" he mumbled, annoyed that she didn't let him doze off. "My sword is over my head."

Kagome took a second to realize what was really going on, then she shrieked and jumped up, shouting:

"Sit, boy!"

Inuyasha, still very sleepy, grinned, realizing in his turn, what the fuss was all about. He made the most brazen comment.

"Even if I still had the subjugation beads on, I don't think they could get **that** "boy" to sit right now."

"Uh, your such a pig!"

"Why are you mad?" he stretched, yawning. "You should see it as a compliment." he continued to be brazen and turned over on his back, with all the splendour of the masculine morning phenomenon poking through his cloths.

"Uh!" Kagome went, covering her eyes.

She ran outside the room. Inuyasha sniggered. He remembered having the naughtiest dream. It was only to be expected that his body would react the way it did. But what happened next, the boy couldn't have possibly expected. Kagome dashed back inside, a bucket in her hand, like she was trying to put out a fire, and, in no time, Inuyasha was soaked to the bone in icy cold water. That woke him up really good... and put out his fire.

"What the **Hell** is the big idea?" he roared.

"Why are you mad? It's my compliment to your compliment." She laughed at the sight of him.

"You better start running right now… 'cause if I lay my hands on you…"

Kaede woke up in a terrible racket. She looked out in the yard, where a soaking wet Inuyasha was chasing Kagome.

"Is he bothering you, child? Should I give him a new string of beads?" she asked.

"No, thanks! I'm starting to develop my own methods of cooling him down!" Kagome answer laughing.


End file.
